Jesse

Luketa

Thompson has mostly played special teams for the Cardinals -- he’s played at least 41% of the special teams snaps in every season since he was drafted in 2019. Thompson had just 71 defensive snaps in 2021 and just six in limited 2022 action. He has a chance to pop up elsewhere due to the special teams work. The Cardinals also promoted Jesse Luketa, who they view as a special-teams prospect, to the active roster from their practice squad.

A two-time team captain, Luketa (6’3/253) played off-ball linebacker for his first three seasons but moved primarily to the edge in 2021. Luketa had his best season, earning Honorable Mention All-Big Ten recognition while accruing 61 tackles and 8.5 TFLs to go with an 81.2 overall defensive grade. He didn’t do much to distinguish himself in pre-draft testing, running a 50th percentile 4.89 40 with a troubling 18 bench reps that helped drag down his pedestrian 5.68 relative athletic score. Luketa doesn’t have the twitch or move set to play edge at the next level and will likely have to rely on his ample special teams experience, 627 snaps in four years, in order to secure a roster spot. He is likely looking at a career arc similar to Ola Adeniyi.

Luketa (6'3/247) is among the many players visiting with teams ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft and will continue to be one the move this week. According to a report from Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network, Luketa will be visiting with the New York Jets on Thursday.

Both players traveled with the team as they took on Maryland, but neither participated in the game. They both did participate in practice on Wednesday however. Luketa has been a key member of a stingy Penn State defense, and the Nittany Lions will need all hands on deck as they face a sixth ranked Michigan.

Luketa (6'3/247) snagged a screen with one hand and walked in for the score to really shut the door on Ball State in the third quarter. His pick made it 31-6 Penn State. Daequan Hardy got another interception a few plays later. Penn State’s defense held up well, not letting Ball State run the ball and kept receivers in front of them for short gains. The only touchdown they let up was with seven minutes left in the 4th quarter with the game firmly in hand. The defense will have a tougher test next Saturday against Auburn.

Luketa (6'3/255) is viewed as a co-starter at middle linebacker by the Penn State coaching staff, and he’ll have some additional work added to his plate once fall camp begins. According to Snyder, the goal is to have the junior spend time at both linebacker and defensive end this fall. In addition to potentially helping out the Nittany Lions, this could also improve Luketa’s NFL prospects as a potential 3-4 outside linebacker. “My conversation with Jesse is make sure you’re spending enough time this summer so that we really can be able to flip you back and forth,” HC James Franklin told The Athletic. “And you probably need to spend a lot of time this summer because I think you’re pretty confident with the linebacker stuff, make sure you’re spending enough time, you know, before camp on the D-end stuff.”

Luketa (6'3/242) being ejected is a big deal due to the timing. The junior linebacker committed the targeting foul during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game, which not only rules him out for the remainder of that contest but for the first half of the next as well. Penn State’s next game: Ohio State on Halloween night.

“He runs well, has good burst and his ability to change directions allows him to succeed in space, but his ability to chase a play down and then close on the ball carrier is evident,” Dohn explained. The analyst notes that the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder possesses “fantastic body control,” with tackling being one of his already-developed plus-traits. He would like to see Luketa add a bit of bulk. Given that the Penn State pledge has yet to even enter his senior season at Mercyhurst Preparatory School (Pennsylvania), there is still plenty of time for him to pack on additional playing weight. Dohn believes he has the frame to do so without losing any of that vaunted quickness.

The Nittany Lions are a house on fire right now, in everything. They just finished up with Rivals’ No. 12 recruiting class for the 2017 cycle and have moved seamlessly into potentially even bigger and better things with the 2018 class. Luketa ranks as Rivals’ No. 30 linebacking prospect for 2018. They also picked up a pledge from four-star RB Ricky Slade on Friday. Eight of Penn State’s 10 current commitments land on the ESPN Jr. 300.