Penn State Fantasy Draft Breakdown: Patrick Koerbler

I present to you: Team Koerbler...

(Round taken in parentheses)

Quarterback: I thought after the first four QBs (Collins, Trace, MRob, and Clark...duh) that there was a drop off that I could wait on a quarterback, and that I did, as I took Matt McGloin in the 21st round. Honestly, I feel like that’s good value all things considered. It allowed me to build out the rest of my team while still taking a quarterback that fits my pro-style system. As you’ll see, I’ve surrounded McGloin with an offense that won’t ask him to do much. All we are looking for is a game manager.

Running Back: I had Curtis Enis third on my running back board after Saquon and Ki-Jana, so I was quite happy to get him in the 4th round. Enis was stupid talented, having an other-worldly combination of speed, power, and balance.

While I don’t lack talent at the other skill positions, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Enis will be the focal point of our offense.

Fullback: Richie Anderson and Mike Archie were tempting selections for the flex, but I couldn’t in good conscience leave this draft without drafting a fullback — specifically, Michael Zordich. This is what building a WINNING team looks like, Jimmy Franklin!!

Wide Receiver: I know he’s a recent player, but I hope we all remember just how talented Allen Robinson was: 77-1018-10 and 97-1432-6 in back-to-back seasons. We’ll combine him with Joe Jurevicius — who somehow lasted until the 7th round — to give McGloin probably the best WR duo out of all of these teams.

Tight End: Honestly, I was content with taking Sean McHugh, but somehow Andrew Quarless dropped to the 18th round. Again, a recent player, but I think we forget how talented he was. And sure, it took some time for Quarless to figure it out, but the 41-536-3 he put up as a senior doesn’t lie. I really love the idea of having 6-foot-3 ARob, 6-foot-5 Jurevicius, and 6-foot-5 Quarless down in the red zone.

Offensive Line: So despite the fact we didn’t need to, I drafted my offensive line like we were building a true unit, not just taking the best five players regardless of position. Anyway, Levi Brown was a pretty obvious first pick for me. I thought he was head-and-shoulders above every other offensive tackle on the board, and when building this roster, it made sense to get a franchise left tackle.

Next, I went with right tackle: Donovan Smith. Judging by the reaction of the rest of the BSDers, Smith was a slight reach in the 8th round, but no one can question how talented Smith was. Plus, I think the majority of the negative memories of Smith came with the 2014 offensive line — which, yeah, sucked. But let us not forget how important he was on good offensive lines in 2012 and 2013.

Rounding out my offensive line, I have three 1st Team All-Big Ten performers on the inside in John Urschel, Phil Ostrowski, and Matt Stankiewitch. As you can see, building out a strong offensive line was a major focus of mine — I was used 4 of my first 11 picks on the offensive front. And as you’ll see over the next few days, I feel I was successful in building the top offensive line out of all the teams in the draft.

Defensive Tackle: Penn State obviously has tremendous depth at defensive tackle, and I think that played out in the draft because Jared Odrick — who I had as the No. 1 DT on my board — lasted until the 5th round. Odrick was an All-American in 2009, and for good reason, as he put up 7 sacks and 11 TFLs from the interior. He’ll be paired with Jay Alford, who might be the most underrated Penn State defensive tackle from the 21st Century. As a junior and senior, Alford had 8.5/11.5 and 8/14.5 seasons — just gaudy stats.

While my Odrick and Alford pairing lacks a space-eater like Devon Still or Spice Adams, I think you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better pass-rushing duo coming from this draft.

Defensive End: Because of my pass rushing ability at defensive tackle, I didn’t feel the need to get an Aaron Maybin or Carl Nassib at defensive end. It was about getting all-around talents who sure, could get after the quarterback, but just as importantly they could play the run, too. That’s why I went with Tyoka Jackson in the 6th round. A 1st Team All-Big Ten selection in 1993, the stoutly built (6-foot-2, 280-pound) Jackson is a perfect compliment to the Odrick-Alford pairing on the inside.

On the opposite end of Jackson will be Matt Rice, who started at Penn State for the better part of three seasons, having his best season in 2005 when he earned 2nd Team All-Big Ten honors. Like his role on that 2005 defensive line, Rice will be unheralded, but certainly far from a weak link.

Linebacker: I know what you are thinking: how in the heck did Paul Posluszny drop to the third round? I don’t know! I am happy it happened though! Poz will captain the defense, and gives my linebacker corps a true game-wrecker.

Next to Poz are two stalwarts from the 90s in Jim Nelson and Phil Yeboah-Kodie. Both earning 2nd Team All-Big Ten honors during their careers, Nelson was steady-eddy as a three-year starter, while Yeboah-Kodie gives my linebacker trio an extra element of athleticism...and Canadianism.

Safety: Here’s the thing with Penn State’s safeties the last 20-ish years — they have kinda sucked. Guys like Herring, Amos, and Lowry were good, but far from elite. So I decided to wait a little bit on safety and take two of the best athletes to play the position in the last 20 years. Yaacov Yisrael is a bit of a forgotten player because he missed the only good season during the Dark Years with a torn ACL, but he was a multi-year starter on some good defenses. Next to Yisrael will be Nick Scott, who was solid if unspectacular.

Cornerback: This is another spot where Penn State doesn’t really have a myriad of “elite” options, but surprisingly there was good depth. I was very happy to leave the draft with two current NFL players in Amani Oruwariye and Trevor Williams; especially considering I got them in the 14th and 15th round. While neither are burners, both offer great length for the position at 6-foot-1 and 5-foot-11, respectively.

Kicker: Wasn’t that great at Penn State, but we feel in our program, we will get the best out of Robbie Gould.