The 2024 NFL draft picks from Penn State are expected to sign deals totaling around $650 million.
It is simple to overlook the fact that college football players can make significant income because NIL receives so much attention. Specifically, by performing well on the field and using that to get a rich pro contract and an NFL career. Though on very different levels, the eight Penn State products selected in the 2024 NFL Draft may directly address that.
We already know how much each of the Nittany Lions’ 2024 draft picks will end up making when they sign their contracts because of the NFL’s rookie deal scale. The excellent website spotrac.com produced the information below.
Offensive tackle Olu Fashanu, selected by the New York Jets with the 11th overall choice, is expected to earn close to $21 million over the course of four years, with over $12 million coming from a guaranteed signing bonus. The PSU draftees will sign contracts totaling $64.7 million, over $23 million of which is guaranteed. It’s likely that James Franklin’s graphic designers are already working on social media posts that will reflect that.
Of course, the fickle nature of the draft can also cost players A LOT of money. Take Penn State’s Kalen King, who as recently as last summer was projected by some to become the first Nittany Lion defensive back ever drafted in the first round. The last pick in the first round this year — WR Xavier Legette of South Carolina, who went to the Carolina Panthers — will sign a four-year deal worth more than $10 million, with an excess of $4 million guaranteed up front.
King ended up going 35th in the seventh round — No. 255 overall — to the Green Bay Packers. He’s in line to sign a four-year deal worth $4.1 million — not exactly chump change. But his signing bonus is only $80,732, and will likely be the only part of the deal that is guaranteed.
