Press Release - Friday, May 5, 2006

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; May 5, 2006 - Two more members of Penn State's 2005 Big Ten Championship team have signed with National Football League teams, bringing the number of Nittany Lions that were selected in the NFL Draft or have signed to 11.

Safety Chris Harrell signed with the Arizona Cardinals and defensive end Matthew Rice has signed with the Buffalo Bills. Harrell joins former Nittany Lions John Bronson, Bryant Johnson and David Macklin in Arizona.

Earlier this week, defensive tackle Scott Paxson and tight end Isaac Smolko signed with the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, joining former PSU All-America guard Jeff Hartings, and cornerback Anwar Phillips signed with the New Orleans Saints.

In 2005, Harrell returned to the field after missing the 2004 campaign with a neck injury. One of the squad's fiercest hitters, Harrell was a starter in every game and was an honorable mention All-Big Ten choice, helping Penn State rank first or second in the conference and in the Top 15 nationally in five primary defensive categories. The former Euclid (OH) High School standout was second on the squad with 88 tackles (50 solo). He also had four pass break-ups, one interception and 3.0 tackles for losses. Harrell was on the field for 970 snaps, third-highest on the squad, topped by 109 plays against Northwestern. He made a season-best 12 tackles vs. Ohio State, and tied his season-high with 12 stops in the Big Ten clinching win at Michigan State. Harrell earned his degree in economics in December 2005.

A starter in every game in 2005 and 30 of the last 31 contests, Rice earned Second Team All-Big Ten accolades. He was third on the squad with 5.0 sacks for minus-40 yards and his 9.0 tackles for losses were fifth best for one of the nation's outstanding defensive units. Rice recorded 55 tackles and five pass break-ups, including two in the FedEx Orange Bowl. The Baltimore product made a season-best eight tackles in the comeback win at Northwestern that ignited the Nittany Lions' run to the Big Ten title. The former Eleanor Roosevelt HS standout had six stops against Cincinnati, Ohio State and Wisconsin, helping hold the Badgers to minus-11 yards on the ground. Rice helped the Nittany Lions rank first or second in the conference and in the Top 15 nationally in five primary defensive categories, including scoring (17.0 ppg), rushing (93.0 ypg) and sacks (41). Rice graduated with a degree in integrative arts in December 2005 and one of his paintings, "Bluprint," was the foundation for Penn State's 2005 football poster, titled, "Loyal Blue."

On April 29, defensive end Tamba Hali became the 33rd Penn Stater to be chosen in the first round of the NFL Draft (by Kansas City), 30 of whom have played for legendary coach Joe Paterno. Quarterback Michael Robinson (San Francisco), safety Calvin Lowry (Tennessee) and cornerback Alan Zemaitis (Tampa Bay) were selected in the fourth round. Guard Tyler Reed was chosen by Chicago in the sixth round and wide receiver/special teams standout Ethan Kilmer was selected by Cincinnati in the seventh round.

This year's six NFL selections bring the number of Nittany Lions to be drafted under Paterno to 227. More than 300 of his players have signed NFL contracts.

Half of the 32 former Nittany Lions playing in the NFL during the 2005 season were members of NFL playoff teams, with a Penn Stater on the nine of the 12 squads that were in contention for Super Bowl XL. With 32 former Lions on NFL rosters, Penn State was among the top 10 schools in the nation in producing NFL players last season.