Courtesy of GoPSU Athletics

Clifford and Washington Selected on Third Day of 2023 NFL Draft

Clifford goes in the fifth round to Green Bay and Washington heads to Jacksonville in the sixth

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State football quarterback Sean Clifford (5th round, 149th overall, Green Bay Packers) and wide receiver Parker Washington (6th round, 185th overall, Jacksonvile Jaguars) were selected on day three of the 2023 NFL Draft on Saturday.

With the selections of Clifford and Washington, Penn State had six players in this year’s draft class. With the six picks, Penn State is one of four schools to produce at least five picks in each of the last six NFL Drafts, joining Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State. The Nittany Lions have a total of 37 players who have been drafted in the last six NFL drafts, the most in a six-year span for the program since 1992-97 (39 picks).

A total of 381 Nittany Lions have been selected all-time in the NFL Draft, which ranks seventh among Division I institutions. Penn State has had 46 players selected since James Franklin’s arrival to the program in 2015, including 21 taken on the first two days of the draft.

Clifford is Penn State’s 10th quarterback selected in the NFL Draft and the third to hear his name called in the Franklin era. He is the 14th Nittany Lion selected by the Packers all-time and will join former Penn State offensive tackle Rasheed Walker in Green Bay.

“I could not be prouder of Sean for earning this opportunity with the Green Bay Packers,” said Franklin. “It has been an honor to watch Sean grow into a man who exemplified our core values and what it meant to be a leader. His success was well documented, and his toughness, resilience and leadership will always be well respected. He has represented Penn State and our football program in the best light, which is a big reason why he was a four-year captain. I will always remember Sean for his ability to fight through adversity and lead by example. I am excited to see him chase his dreams in the NFL with the Packers.”

“Sean put together a lot of great moments throughout his career at Penn State, and I am thrilled he will get the chance to do more of the same at the next level with the Green Bay Packers,” said offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich. “This is a guy who has fought through adversity time and time again, but with the toughness and leadership he brought to our team, he always found a way to overcome it. Sean is dedicated and works his tail off all the time at practice, and that’s why he improved as a quarterback throughout his time here. I am looking forward to seeing where Sean’s professional career takes him.”