April 28, 2018
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Penn State safety Troy Apke (Mount Lebanon, Pa.) and wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton (Fredericksburg, Va.) were selected in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft Saturday in Arlington, Texas. Additionally, safety Marcus Allen (Upper Marlboro, Md.) was chosen in the fifth round and cornerback Christian Campbell (Phenix City, Ala.) was a sixth-round pick.
Apke was drafted by the Washington Redskins with the 109th overall pick, while Hamilton was the 113th overall selection by the Denver Broncos, Allen was the 148th overall selection by the Pittsburgh Steelers and Campbell was the 182nd overall selection by the Arizona Cardinals.
Apke is the 22nd Penn State player to be drafted by the Redskins all-time, Hamilton is the fifth Penn State player to be selected by the Broncos all-time, Allen is the 26th Penn Stater to go to the Steelers all-time and Campbell is the 13th Penn State letterman to go to the Cardinals all-time.
The quartet joins Saquon Barkley (Coplay, Pa.) and Mike Gesicki (Manahawkin, N.J.) as Penn Staters to hear their name called in this year's NFL Draft. Barkley was the No. 2 overall selection by the New York Giants Thursday night and Gesicki was the 42nd overall pick by the Miami Dolphins Friday night.
A total of 350 Nittany Lions have been selected all-time in the NFL Draft, which ranks seventh among Division I institutions, including 37 in the first round. The Nittany Lions have had at least three players drafted six of the last seven years. The six selections are the most since 2010 when six Nittany Lions were chosen.
Apke is the highest Penn State defensive back to be selected in the NFL Draft since Justin King went with the 101st overall pick to the St. Louis Rams in 2008. He is the first defensive back to be selected since Jordan Lucas went in the sixth round in the 2016 draft.
Apke, Allen and Campbell make it 32 Penn State defensive back to be drafted all-time. This is the second time in program history three defensive backs have been chosen in the same draft. The other time Penn State had three DBs selected was the 2006 NFL Draft when Calvin Lowry (Tennessee in fourth round), Alan Zemaitis (Tampa Bay in fourth round) and Ethan Kilmer (Cincinnati in seventh round) were chosen.
Hamilton is the 24th Penn State wide receiver to be drafted all-time. He is the first wide out selected since Chris Godwin went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round last year.
"We couldn't be happier for Troy to hear his named called during the NFL Draft," Penn State Head Coach James Franklin said. "He was a guy who contributed for us on special teams early in his career, but really took advantage of his opportunities when they came around on defense. As you saw at the NFL Combine, he has tremendous speed and agility and we believe he will be a great contributor for the Redskins. We are also so proud to have him earn his degree in criminology in December."
"It was great watching Troy develop into the man and player he is now," safeties coach Tim Banks said. "Troy showed all his teammates the road map of hard work and determination and where it can lead!"
Troy Apke, S, 6-1, 198, Mt. Lebanon, Pa./Mount Lebanon
- Honorable-mention All-Big Ten by the media.
- Selected as the MVP of the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl after posting seven tackles, forcing a fumble and grabbing an interception.
- Was fourth on the team with 55 tackles.
- Earned Pro Football Focus Big Ten Team of the Week honors on Sept. 12 after collecting an interception and five tackles vs. Pittsburgh.
- Earned the Ridge Riley Memorial Award at the annual team banquet, sharing the award which represents "sportsmanship, scholarship, leadership and friendship" with Andrew Nelson
- Blocked his first career kick on a field goal attempt in the fourth quarter at Iowa.
- Notched a career-high eight tackles, including six solo, at Ohio State.
- Tied his career high with eight tackles, including five solo, and added one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry at Michigan State.
"We are so very excited for DaeSean to be drafted by the Broncos," Penn State Head Coach James Franklin said. "His maturity, tireless work ethic, team-first mentality and continued perseverance make him into the player he is today. He excelled in the slot with his crisp route running and great hands. We believe DaeSean will add his name to the list of Nittany Lion wide receivers to excel at the next level. DaeSean took advantage of his time at Penn State, earning two degrees in advertising and public relations, as well as telecommunications."
"DaeSean not only left his mark on the Penn State record books, but he also left his mark on the culture in the WR room," offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne said. "His work ethic and attention to detail have become hallmarks of WR play at Penn State, and this lasting legacy will be felt for years to come. I know that the best route runner in the country will be able to translate his craft into a successful professional career."
DaeSean Hamilton, WR, 6-1, 206, Fredericksburg, Va./Mountain View
- Second-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and third-team all-conference by the media.
- Played in the East-West Shrine Game and the Reese's Senior Bowl.
- Is Penn State's all-time leader in receptions (214), passing Deon Butler's former mark of 179 against Indiana (9/30/17).
- Named second-team All-Big Ten by the Associated Press, Phil Steele and Pro Football Focus in 2017.
- Earned a spot on the Pro Football Focus Big Ten Team of the Week on Oct. 24, 2017 after his showing vs. Michigan.
- Named Co-Big Ten Player of the Week (Davis III, MSU) on Oct. 2, 2017 after his 9-catch, 122-yard, 3-touchdown performance vs. Indiana.
- Earned Pro Football Focus National Team of the Week and Big Ten Team of the Week following his effort vs. Indiana (9/30/17), earning the highest position grade of any B1G offensive student-athlete that week.
- Four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
- Ranks No. 2 on Penn State's all-time receiving yardage list (2,842).
- Is the ninth player in Penn State history to eclipse the 2,000-yard receiving mark.
- Had 21 career games with five-plus receptions (nine in 2014, five in 2015, two in 2016, five in 2017).
- Tied for No. 3 all-time at Penn State with nine 100-yard receiving games (four in 2014, one in 2016, four in 2017).
- Ranks tied for No. 4 on Penn State's career receiving touchdowns charts with 18 scoring grabs.
- Ranked tied for No. 25 in the FBS and No. 3 in the Big Ten in receiving touchdowns (9).
- Ranked No. 68 in the FBS and No. 5 in the Big Ten in yards per reception (16.17).
- Was No. 67 nationally and No. 6 in the Big Ten in receiving yards per game (65.9).
- Broke the Penn State freshman records for receptions (14) and receiving yards (165) in a game in 2014.
- Broke the Penn State game reception record with 14 catches against No. 13 Ohio State in 2014.
- Selected to the College Football News (second team) and Athlon Sports (third team) Freshman All-America teams in 2014.
- Tabbed second-team All-Big Ten by the media and honorable-mention All-Big Ten by the coaches in 2014.
- Selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team by BTN.com, ESPN.com and 247Sports in 2014.
- Led the Big Ten with 82 receptions, ranked fourth with 69.2 receiving yards per game and fifth with 889 receiving yards in 2014.
- Paced the conference and finished 28th nationally with 6.3 receptions per game as a freshman.
- Only freshman to average more than 5.8 catches per game in the NCAA and was one of six freshmen to average 70.0 or more receiving yards per game in 2014.
"We are so excited for Marcus to be drafted by the Steelers," Penn State Head Coach James Franklin said. "He was a four-year starter for us and was one of our leaders in the secondary for much of his career. He will be a great addition for the Steelers with the energy and enthusiasm he brings to the locker room and field each day. He also found success in the classroom, graduating in December with his degree in broadcast journalism.
"Marcus has a personality that's infectious, big smile, great energy and people love being around him," safeties coach Tim Banks said. "I'm super proud of the man he's become and the legacy he left at Penn State!"
Marcus Allen, S, 6-2, 207, Upper Marlboro, Md./Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.
- First-team all-conference selection by the coaches and second-team All-Big Ten choice by the media.
- Selected to the Reese's Senior Bowl.
- Second on the team with 72 tackles and tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles in 2017.
- Was No. 24 among active FBS defenders with 321 career tackles.
- Is just the sixth Nittany Lion to reach the 300-tackle mark in a career.
- Ranked No. 5 on Penn State's career tackles chart with 321 stops, trailing Brian Gelzheiser (315; 1991-94) for No. 5.
- Had nine career double-digit tackle games in his career (two in 2014, two in 2015, three in 2016, two in 2017).
- Named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, along with teammate Grant Haley.
- Selected as a quarterfinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, along with teammate Jason Cabinda.
- Earned the Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week on Sept. 12 after piling up 13 tackles vs. Pittsburgh.
- Named to the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award weekly honor roll on Sept. 13 for his efforts vs. Pittsburgh.
- Earned Pro Football Focus Big Ten Team of the Week following his effort vs. Indiana (9/30/17).
- Selected All-Big Ten third team by the conference coaches in 2016.
- Named to Phil Steele and Athlon Sports All-Big Ten third team in 2016.
- Selected Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 3 for his 22-tackle effort vs. Minnesota on Oct. 1, 2016.
- Earned Rose Bowl Game Big Ten Player of the Week on Oct. 3, 2016 for his efforts vs. the Golden Gophers.
- Earned Co-Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week for his blocked field goal attempt vs. No. 2 Ohio State (10/22/16), sharing with teammate Grant Haley.
- Named All-Big Ten honorable mention by both the coaches and media in 2015.
- Selected to Athlon Sports third-team Freshman All-American in 2014.
- Named to BTN.com, ESPN.com and 247Sports Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2014.
"I couldn't be more proud to see Christian's name on the NFL Draft board," Penn State Head Coach James Franklin said. "Christian is a very smart, dependable and conscientious football player, who played his best as a senior and his best football is still ahead of him! He made the most of his opportunity as a starter last season. We know he will be a great addition to the Cardinals' roster."
"Christian Campbell is a long, athletic, twitched corner with great man-to-man skills," assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith said. "He is a good tackler and special teams player. He brings a great feel for defending the pass game."
Christian Campbell, CB, 6-1, 194, Phenix City, Ala./Central
- Honorable-mention all-conference by coaches and media.
- Selected to the Reese's Senior Bowl.
- Led the team with 12 pass breakups.
- Ranked seventh on the team with 45 tackles.
- Had at least one pass breakup in seven-straight games from the 2017 Rose Bowl to Northwestern.
- Registered four tackles, including three solo, and two pass breakups against Pitt.
- Tallied four tackles, one pass breakup and forced the first fumble of the game, which was recovered by Jason Cabinda, against Indiana.
- Made four tackles and hauled in his first interception of the season to end the first half at Northwestern.
- Made a highlight defensive play on a strip-sack of John O'Korn in the fourth quarter against Michigan.
- Tied his career high with six stops at Ohio State.
Penn State returns 13 starters (8 offensive, 3 defensive, 2 specialists) and 26 additional lettermen. The Nittany Lions open the season at Beaver Stadium against Appalachian State September 1.
More than 6,100 new season tickets have already been sold for the 2018 season presented by PSECU. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2018 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 10 a.m-6 p.m.