6 Penn State players sign undrafted free agent contracts in NFL
Six undrafted Penn State players have signed with NFL teams, giving the Nittany Lions a total of 11 preparing for professional football camps this summer.
The undrafted players include:
• Tight end Nick Bowers, a Kittanning graduate (Las Vegas Raiders), a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
• Wide receiver Dan Chisena (Minnesota Vikings), who won the John Bruno Award for outstanding special teams play.
• Punter Blake Gillikin (New Orleans Saints), a two-time captain whose 43-yard average is tied for second all-time at Penn State.
• Offensive lineman Steven Gonzalez (Arizona Cardinals), who played in 50 games at Penn State with 42 starts.
• Linebacker Jan Johnson (Houston Texans). He entered Penn State as a walk-on before becoming a two-year starter, long snapper, captain and a member of the wrestling team.
• Safety Garrett Taylor (Buffalo Bills), a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
The five Penn State players drafted — defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos (Carolina Panthers), wide receiver KJ Hamler (Denver Broncos), cornerback John Reid (Texans), linebacker Cam Brown (New York Giants) and defensive lineman Robert Windsor (Indianapolis Colts) — give the Nittany Lions 44 since 2010, including 17 in the past three years.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.