The Detroit Lions selected former Penn State cornerback Amani Oruwariye early in the fifth round on Saturday afternoon, sending the Tampa, Florida native to a much colder climate for the foreseeable future.
Oruwariye is the second Penn State player to be drafted on Saturday, his selection coming not long after Shareef Miller who was the last pick in the fourth round. Miller joins Miles Sanders in Philadelphia while Connor McGovern was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round on Friday night.
The Lions went 6-10 last year after back-to-back nine-win seasons, Detroit has not won a playoff game since 1991 but has made the postseason three times since 2011. Oruwariye joins a fairly experienced cornerback room with four Detroit corners having played in the league for four or more years.
While many expected Oruwariye to be drafted slightly higher than he was on Saturday, NFL.com still grades him as a projected NFL starter, a 4.47 testing 40-yard dash only helping his cause this offseason.
Oruwariye is credited with 20 pass deflections and eight interceptions over the span of his 38 career appearances while at Penn State. He registered 50 tackles during the 2018-19 season.
