Why is Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie flying up NFL draft boards?
One of Penn State football’s biggest question marks heading into the 2021 season was its talent or lack thereof at the defensive end spots.
With blossoming star Adisa Issac sidelined with a season-ending injury and Nick Tarburton getting the first significant action of his career as a starter, Temple transfer Arnold Ebiketie would be asked to step into a big role.
Considering he would be replacing future NFL players in Odafeh Oweh and Shaka Toney who were drafted in the spring of 2021, those shoes would be tough to fill.
But the transfer managed to put together a season to remember, finishing the year with 9.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and could consistently be seen pressuring opposing quarterbacks in the backfield.
This production earned the graduate transfer a first team All-Big Ten selection and now has him flying up NFL draft boards.
NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. has Ebiketie going No. 16 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles in his latest mock draft which is much higher than many have anticipated even up to this point.
So why is Ebiketie’s stock rising so high and what makes him a coveted NFL prospect?
Start with his really impressive measurables at 6-foot-3, 256 pounds with 34 inch arms.
We’ve seen just how much size and athleticism can have an effect on the opinions of NFL front office people as just last year the aforementioned Oweh went to Baltimore in the first round despite having no sacks with the Nittany Lions the season prior.
Ebiketie is right around the ideal size for an NFL defensive end with enough arm length to be effective with both power and speed to shake off pro-caliber offensive tackles — and he’s got the college production to speak for itself as well.
Very similar in stature is Steelers defensive end and likely league defensive player of the year T.J. Watt, who stands at 6-foot-4, 251 pounds and just came off a 22.5 sack year in Pittsburgh.
If you want to turn the clock back a little more, New York Giant legend Lawrence Taylor, who many consider the best defensive player in league history, stood at about 6-foot-3, 240 pounds.
So the size is definitely an asset for Ebiketie but of course measurables do not get players drafted alone, the traits and production have to show up on film.
Going back and watching tape from this past season, Ebiketie’s impact for the Penn State defensive line goes much further than the production even shows.
In the NFL, while sacks and tackles are the statistics that get the most recognition, pressures are truly what matters most and Ebiketie was very effective at that in his lone campaign in Happy Valley.
Plus, the Cameroonian-born defensive end was very effective in the run game as well with 18 tackles for loss which was good for second in the Big Ten this year ahead of projected No. 1 overall pick Aiden Hutchinson, who had 1.5 less in two extra games played.
So while there is plenty of time until the NFL combine and the draft in late April, it is interesting to see that Ebiketie is finally getting recognition from draft analysts and despite not being highly touted throughout the season.
The combine will have a lot to do with how things shake out but this is some much deserved credit for Ebiketie after doing everything he could to improve his draft stock this season.
What a story it would be for him to wind back up in Philadelphia with the Eagles too as Ebiketie’s career would truly come full circle back to Lincoln Financial Field, where he got his college start with Temple in 2017.
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