Posted April 27, 2024 | Article by Jack Rachinsky | Photo by Nick Patterson
Penn State’s center for all 13 games in 2023 has had his name called in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Hunter Nourzad, the sixth-year player from Marietta, Ga., was selected 159 overall in the fifth round by the Kansas City Chiefs.
2023 marked the first season where Nourzad started every game in the center position. He split his time between guard and center in 2022 and played right tackle from 2018 to 2021 at Cornell before transferring to Happy Valley.
Nourzad was selected to the All-Big Ten Second Team by both the coaches and media. At Cornell, he made the All-Ivy League First Team in 2021 and the Second Team in 2019.
In 2023, the Penn State offensive line allowed only 1.23 sacks per game. That was good enough for 2nd in the Big Ten and 19th among all FBS schools.
Nourzad’s anchor at the center, alongside fellow departing Nittany Lions Caedan Wallace and Olu Fashanu, allowed Drew Allar to get comfortable in his first season as Penn State’s starting quarterback.
The Chiefs get a versatile offensive lineman to use in the trenches.
Jack Rachinsky is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jjr6682@psu.edu.
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