4 Former Penn State Players to Announce 2026 NFL Draft Picks

Penn State will be well-represented at the 2026 NFL Draft, both in players selected and those announcing selections.

According to a release from the NFL on Thursday afternoon, four former Nittany Lions will be announcing draft picks: Matt Millen for the Las Vegas Raiders, Shane Conlan for the Buffalo Bills, Paul Posluszny for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Joey Porter Jr. for the Pittsburgh Steelers. All four selections will be made on April 24, Day 2 of the three-day-draft.

Millen played at Penn State from 1976-79 and was named a first-team All-American as a junior. He was picked in the second round of the 1980 draft by the then-Oakland Raiders, where he played nine seasons. He then played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1989 to 1990 and the then-Washington Redskins in 1991, winning Super Bowls with each organization, including two with the Raiders.

Conlan played linebacker at Penn State from 1982 to 1986, making him a part of both the team’s officially claimed national championships. He was selected by the Bills with the eighth overall pick and spent nine seasons in the league, winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and becoming a three-time Pro Bowler.

A fellow linebacker, Posluszny spent the 2003-06 seasons as a Nittany Lion, winning the Chuck Bednarik Award twice and the Dick Butkus Award in 2005. He was drafted by the Bills in the second round, where he played four seasons before heading to the Jaguars for the next seven. He led the NFL in tackles in 2013 and made a Pro Bowl.

The most recent Nittany Lion of the group, Porter played at Penn State from 2019-2022, earning first-team All-Big Ten accolades as a senior. He was drafted with the No. 32 pick in 2022, technically in the second round, by the Steelers. Through three seasons, he’s amassed 175 tackles and three interceptions.

With the draft being held in Pittsburgh for the first time since 1948, many local players will be involved on draft night. Porter is one of just four active players announcing a pick, and his father, Joey Porter Sr., will also read a selection for the Steelers.