Arizona Cardinals draft Penn State linebacker Jesse Luketa in seventh round

The Arizona Cardinals took linebacker Jesse Luketa of Penn State with their second seventh round pick.

From Dane Brugler:

SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Penn State, Luketa bounced between defensive end and linebacker in defensive coordinator Brent Pry’s hybrid front-seven. The Canadian native put his name on the NFL radar as a junior and had his most complete season as a senior, showing off his versatility and finishing third on the team in tackles for loss (8.5). A charged-up athlete, Luketa has an aggressive field demeanor with chase speed and finishing instincts. Although he has some tweener traits and frenetic habits, he usually plays assignment sound to fill/spill and create knock-back at contact. Overall, Luketa doesn’t have a great feel as a pass rusher and lacks consistency in coverage, but he is a good-sized athlete and covers ground with his active pursuit motor. He projects as a regular on special teams coverages and a hybrid rush linebacker in sub.

Luketa as a size/athletic profile is intriguing. 6-3 253lbs, he was slow at 4.89 in the forty, but had a 37.5 vertical and 114” broad jump.

He looks like a special teams type of player.

Welcome to the desert, Jesse.