Menet picked in seventh round
Former Exeter and Penn State offensive lineman is taken by Cardinals
Former Exeter and Penn State offensive lineman Michal Menet was selected Saturday by the Arizona Cardinals in the seventh round of the NFL draft.
The Cardinals made the 6-4, 301-pound Menet the 247th pick, the second of three consecutive Penn State players taken. The Washington Football Team took defensive end Shaka Toney with the 246th pick, and the Indianapolis Colts selected guard/tackle Will Fries with the 248th pick.
Menet became the first Berks County high school product to be drafted since Wyomissing grad Alex Anzalone was taken in 2017 in the third round by the New Orleans Saints.
“It’s a childhood dream come true,” Menet told azcardinals. com. “It definitely goes to show that if you put in the hard work … and love the game, the game will love you back. I’m just so thankful to the Arizona Cardinals for giving me a chance.”
Menet was a three-year starter at center for Penn State, missing just one game in that span, and a two-time team captain. He was named to the All-Big Ten third team by coaches and media this season.
With Menet anchoring the offensive line, the Nittany Lions went 24-11 the last three seasons, including a win over Memphis in the 2019 Cotton Bowl. He also was part of Penn State’s Big Ten championship team in 2016 that went to the Rose Bowl and its 2017 team that beat Washington in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Cardinals traded a thirdround pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in March to acquire 10-year veteran Rodney Hudson, who’s expected to be the starting center. Lamont Gaillard, a sixthround pick by Arizona in 2019, is the other center on the roster. He played in 13 games last season and started twice.
“I’m going to outwork people,”
Menet told azcardinals.com. “I’ve always prided myself on doing that, just being able to outwork people and compete.”
Menet was the eighth center selected in the draft, the second in the seventh round after the Las Vegas Raiders took Pittsburgh’s Jimmy Morrissey with pick No. 230. Menet and Morrissey trained together in the winter at Exos in Pensacola, Fla.
Ourlads’ NFL Scouting Services rated Menet as the fifthbest center in the draft. He was projected to be taken anywhere between the fourth and seventh rounds. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said in March that he expected Menet to be taken in the fourth round.
“Michal Menet is a special football player who has the ability to be a starter in the NFL because of his intelligence and durability,” Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein said. “He started 34 games for us and was a proven leader that the guys in the offensive line room were able to learn from.
“His toughness and physicality will allow him to have a long and successful NFL career.”
Three other Penn State players were drafted Thursday and Friday: linebacker Micah Parsons, first round, 12th pick, Dallas; defensive end Jayson Oweh, first round, 31st pick, Baltimore; and tight end Pat Freiermuth, tight end, second round, 55th pick, Pittsburgh.
In addition, safety Lamont Wade reportedly was expected to sign a free agent contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Penn State has had 23 players drafted since 2018, the most in a four-year span since 27 Nittany Lions were taken from 1993-96. Also, Penn State has had at least five players drafted in four consecutive years for the first time since 1978-84.
Six notable seventh-round draft picks went on to outstanding careers in the NFL: offensive tackle Rayfield Wright of the Dallas Cowboys, a Hall of Famer who played from 1967-79; tight end
Shannon Sharpe of the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens, a Hall of Famer who played from 1990-2003; wide receiver Donald Driver of the Green Bay Packers (1999-2012); wide receiver Julian Edelman of the New England Patriots (2009-20); and offensive tackle Trent Brown, now of the Las Vegas Raiders.