UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (WTAJ) — The countdown to the NFL Draft continues as Penn State held their Pro Day, where 13 Nittany Lions laced up their cleats one final time in front of scouts.
It’s been a long road for all the athletes, some of whom have spent five seasons donning the blue and white, which includes defensive tackle P.J. Mustipher. Mustipher was poised to enter the NFL Draft in 2021, before an injury against Iowa ended his season.
“It’s been a long road, but, you know, I kind of have put that behind me just to understand that stuff’s going to happen,” said Mustipher. “I use that to catapult me into my career, especially now and at the next level that, you know, challenges are going to come. You just got to be willing to put in the work and, you know, you can overcome it.”
After deciding to come back for his Covid year, Mustipher spent the offseason with his brother Sam, who plays for the Chicago Bears, and proved he was fully healthy enroute to recording a career high 38 tackles for a unit that shut down most rushing attacks.
“Just the way I get knocked back, you know, just imposing my will and offense alarming, you know that my physicality, you know and I never stop,” Mustipher said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. You know I think a lot of guys have the athleticism. You know, they got a whole lot. But, you know, when we we’re on that field for 60 minutes, we going to see who really wants it. And that’s what I showed scouts and that’s what scouts understand about my game.”
The final steps for the future NFL players are zoom calls and interviews with teams until draft day on April 27th.