On Friday morning in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine, the stacked defensive line class met with the media. There are a lot of top options at the position that could make a big impact in the NFL. Two of them are former Penn State players who were born in Canada.
Canadian-Born Stars
Penn State has eight total players here at the combine, two of them being edge rushers, Arnold Ebiketie and Jesse Luketa. Both of them are Canadian-born and each saw a big jump in their senior seasons. They both had impressive weeks at the Senior Bowl which saw their stocks rise. Luketa recorded two sacks – including a strip-sack – during the game in Mobile, Alabama, while Ebiketie was dominant in practice drills the entire week.
For more on Ebiketie, check out our scouting report on him.
“I personally feel that it skyrocketed my projection,” Luketa said of his Senior Bowl week. “I was able to truly put my skill set on full display; who I am as a person on the field as well as off the field. [What stood out the most] was my high motor and my high energy. Those who know me, know that my energy is infectious. I come off as a leader and you’re gonna hear me whether you like me or not.”
Luketa got recruited to Penn State as a four-star prospect out of Mercyhurst Prep in Erie, Pennsylvania. The Canadian-born defensive lineman said his visit to State College was the only official visit he took. He was just so fully invested in playing football for the blue and white.
“I mean, how could you not wanna go play in Beaver Stadium,” he said. “107,000 fans, it doesn’t get better than that. Honestly, just being able to experience the whiteout as a recruit and see what it was like, the brotherhood. I just [knew] that if I [went] to Penn State, I’d have an opportunity to get a great degree and have an opportunity to move forward to the NFL. Penn State is somewhere that’s going to be near and dear for me.”
Versatility
Ebiketie said he is versatile enough to play multiple positions and is comfortable doing everything. He can play from the edge, drop back in coverage, and rush the quarterback most of the time in a 4-3 system. When he’s rushing, he has more than one move but talked about how he likes to use his speed most to bend around the corner. He is hoping to continue to add to his game and show off his skills at the combine.
“I have a lot of different moves that I like to use, “Ebiketie said. “My go-to is definitely speed and I mean Von Miller is one of the greatest to do it when it comes to speed and bending through the corner. Some of the other guys I watch are JJ Watt and Nick Bosa, just try to take a little bit of everything from those guys and incorporate it into my game.”
Blue-Collar Environment
Playing for head coach James Franklin really shaped Luketa into the young man and player that he is. Franklin has always been a very strong recruiter, so he certainly played a part in Luketa being so set on going there. There are a lot of lessons he learned from the now 50-year old coach. That includes how to be a good person on and off the field.
“Honestly just to be a blue-collar Penn Stater,” Luketa said of Franklin. “Be on time, be ten minutes early, that’s just how we’re wired. Work hard, sacrifice, and compete; we pride ourselves on having the most competitive environment in all of college football. Ultimately, we show that year in and year out.”
Ebiketie grew up in Cameroon and was a soccer player until he moved to the United States at the age of 13. He started playing football as a sophomore in high school in Washington DC. His father was a big part of his transition to football, as he encouraged him to try it. Now he’s at the NFL Combine, so it certainly worked out.
“My dad actually started liking football before I did,” Ebiketie said. “He was kinda the first person to encourage football. I started watching the games with him. My high school coach approached me to ask me to try and join the football team. My dad was the one who pushed me to do and it [turns out] it was a good decision for me.”
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Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
