May 1, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Penn State tackle Donovan Smith (Owings Mills, Md.) in the second round of the 2015 National Football League Draft Friday evening.
Smith was the No. 34 overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft and second pick of the second round. Smith is the 37th Penn State football student-athlete to be drafted since 2006, including 17 in the first three rounds. A total of 336 Nittany Lions have been selected all-time in the NFL Draft, including 36 in the first round.
A native of Owings Mills, Maryland, Smith is the first Penn State tackle to be drafted since Levi Brown was the fifth overall pick of the 2007 Draft. Smith is also the highest Nittany Lion drafted since Jared Odrick went 28th overall in the 2010 Draft to the Miami Dolphins.
"We are thrilled for Donovan to make this next step in his football career after graduating from Penn State in just three and a half years," Penn State Head Coach James Franklin said. "He is very athletic and has great footwork for a guy his size. There are only so many guys out there that can be a true left tackles and protect the quarterback's blindside and he is one of them."
"Donovan has the talent and tangibles to play in the National Football League for many years," Offensive Line Coach Herb Hand said. "His combination of size and athleticism are rare. Donovan has the athletic ability to play either tackle and also possesses the girth and power to play on the interior."
Smith started 31 of his 37 career games played, which was tied for second-highest on the 2014 squad. He participated in the Senior Bowl alongside teammates Adrian Amos and Deion Barnes. Smith blocked for the two of the top three quarterbacks in career yardage in program history in Matt McGloin (6,385) and Christian Hackenberg (5,932). He also helped pave the way for 19 100-yard rushing performances.
A pre-season candidate for the Outland Trophy, Smith concluded his career by helping the Nittany Lions rally from a 21-7 third quarter deficit to beat Boston College, 31-30 in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. He helped Penn State gain 453 yards and 25 first downs in the overtime win over Eagles, also boosting Hackenberg to break or tie nine school bowl records.
A U.S. Army All-American at Owings Mills High School, the 6-5, 340-pound Smith graduated with his degree in criminology in December.
There were 28 former Nittany Lions with NFL teams during the 2014 season, again placing Penn State in the top 20 nationally among schools in producing current NFL players. Penn State was ranked No. 2 among Big Ten teams in players on 2014 NFL rosters.
For the 44th time in the Super Bowl's 49-game history, at least one Penn State alumnus was a member of one of the participating teams (18 times in last 20 years). Thirty-seven former Nittany Lions have earned a total of 54 Super Bowl rings, most recently Jordan Hill and since-retired running back Michael Robinson with Seattle last year. A total of 105 Nittany Lions have been on Super Bowl rosters.
The Nittany Lions open the 2015 campaign on the road against Temple at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday, September 5.
Season tickets for the 2015 campaign are on sale, with nearly 3,000 new season tickets having been sold. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2015 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 10 a.m-6 p.m.