Penn State Football: Strange Declares for NFL Draft, Will Play in Rose Bowl

After four seasons in State College, Penn State tight end Brenton Strange has declared for the 2023 NFL Draft but will suit up with the Nittany Lions as Penn State takes on Utah in the Rose Bowl next week.

“I couldn’t be more thankful to have called State College home for the last four years,” Strange wrote on Twitter. “Since my arrival in 2019, I have grown tremendously on and off the field. I’m truly blessed to be a part of the Penn State community. I have decided to forgo my senior season and declare for the 2023 NFL Draft. I am looking forward to being with the Penn State Football family one last time and competing in the Rose Bowl.”

Through his four-year tenure in Happy Valley, Strange played in 31 games and managed 755 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on 70 career catches. While Penn State’s usage of its talented tight end room varied over the course of the 2022 season, Strange proved once again to be among the elite tight ends in the nation and one of the most reliable Nittany Lions on the roster. This season Strange ended the regular season with 32 receptions for 362 yards.

Strange finished the regular season Penn State’s leading touchdown catcher with five and was also responsible for the longest touchdown reception of the year – a 67-yard catch and rumble against Purdue.

Strange is among a handful of draft-eligible player to declare for the draft and still opt to play in Penn State’s Rose Bowl appearance. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr is so far the only player set to enter the NFL Draft but not face off against Utah in the Rose Bowl. Receiver Parker Washington also declared for the draft and will not play in the Rose Bowl due to an injury – he did however travel with the team to California.

Penn State will lean on tight ends Theo Johnson, Tyler Warren and true freshmen Jerry Cross among others in 2023 and beyond.