The New York Giants have been busy this NFL offseason. Besides trading for Darren Waller, signing Bobby Okereke, Jamison Crowder, and Parris Campbell, and resigning Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley, the New York Giants have added a former Penn State cornerback.

Former Penn State Cornerback Amani Oruwariye Signs with the New York Giants

On Thursday, the Giants signed former Penn State cornerback Amani Oruwariye to a one-year deal. Oruwariye will join former Nittany Lions Saquon Barkley and Cam Brown in East Rutherford. While this move will be overshadowed by some other big moves by the Giants, Oruwariye has the chance to play a decent role in his new home. 

FA CB Amani Oruwariye is signing a one-year deal with the #Giants, sources tell @theScore.

Oruwariye had 6 INTs in 2021 as well as 11 PBUs and 2 TFLs. Former #Lions’ corner finds a new home in New York.

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 23, 2023

Oruwariye played for Penn State from 2014-2018. In his senior season in 2018, Oruwariye was voted a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the media and coaches. Earning these honors helped Oruwariye to become a 5th-round draft pick by the Detroit Lions. In his first season with the Lions, Oruwariye had 2 interceptions in 9 games. In the following season, Oruwariye appeared in 16 games and started 15, recording one TFL and one INT. 

Oruwariye broke out in 2021. The former Penn State cornerback started all 14 games he played. He finished with 6 INTs, 11 PDs, and 2 TFLs. After his breakout season, the league was on alert and expected another big year. Oruwariye did play in 14 games in 2022. However, he was benched and, as a result, only started 5 games. Last year was a struggle for Oruwariye, as he had many pass-interference penalties called on him. It was also the first year of his professional career without an interception.

LETS GO BIG BLUE ❤️💙

— Amani Oruwariye (@AmaniO) March 23, 2023

Will New York be a Restart for Oruwariye’s NFL Career?

Now, Oruwariye has a new home with the Giants. He joins a cornerback room with Adoree’ Jackson, Darnay Holmes, Nick McCloud, and others. Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale likes to blitz a lot. Having a long, lengthy corner like Oruwariye makes him a fit into the Giants’ aggressive defense. Oruwariye hopes to have another great year similar to his 2021 season. A new home with some former teammates might make the difference in Oruwariye’s NFL career.

All smiles for @AmaniO 😁 pic.twitter.com/POQcG23yLc

— New York Giants (@Giants) March 23, 2023

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STATE COLLEGE, PA — This week is a massive one for many former Nittany Lions. On Friday, Penn State football will host its annual pro day; most of the nation’s top scouts will be in attendance, and many Penn State football players will be on display for the first time in an attempt to boost their 2023 NFL Draft stock. For former Nittany Lion starter Sean Clifford, Friday will be a monumental step in his career.

Love him or hate him, Sean Clifford’s career is being watched closely by many

For the past four seasons, Penn State football fans have watched — sometimes unhappily — as Sean Clifford took the field as the Nittany Lions’ starting quarterback. After six years in State College and four years as the full-time starting quarterback, Clifford will leave Penn State as the winningest quarterback in program history. He also holds many Penn State records, such as most career passings yards, most career passing touchdowns, and more.

During Clifford’s four seasons under center, the veteran quarterback led Penn State football to two 11-win seasons, a 33-15 overall record, a 2-2 record against Michigan, a 3-1 record against Michigan State, a Cotton Bowl win in 2019, and a Rose Bowl win in 2023. Clifford’s first and final seasons as the starting quarterback went great — Penn State finished 11-2 overall and in the top 10 during both seasons — however, his middle two seasons were both subpar (4-5, 7-6).

Sean Clifford’s strengths mostly lied in his ability to extend plays — he is an alright passer, struggles throwing the ball deep on many occasions, and sometimes makes generally poor decisions. Still, when he is on, Penn State’s offense looked unstoppable; this was evident during the Nittany Lions’ massive wins over Auburn, Ohio, Indiana, and Minnesota during this past season.

Clifford’s NFL future likely hinges on his pro day performance

Despite being a Penn State football record holder, Sean Clifford is not exactly at the top of many draft boards right now. In fact, not a single mock draft that we have seen lists Clifford being drafted in any round — if he is picked up, it will likely be as an unsigned free agent after the draft. To be fair, not many 24-year-old quarterbacks are coming out of college, though this does not mean that Sean Clifford will not perform well in the NFL if he makes it there. For Clifford, this Friday will mean the world, and after all he has done for the Penn State program, we wish him the best as he enters this new chapter.

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On Friday, a massive NFL Draft trade took place. The Chicago Bears — who previously boasted the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft — sent the top 2023 draft pick to the quarterback-hungry Carolina Panthers. The Panthers are in need of a new franchise QB heading into the 2023 season and could be eying a former Penn State quarterback.

Major draft shakeup 🚨 🚨 🚨

Sources say the #Bears are trading the No. 1 overall pick to the #Panthers in exchange for big-time compensation including multiple 1st rounders. Chicago loads up and lands at No. 9, while Carolina can draft its QB of the future. pic.twitter.com/DNvYMStoxd

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2023

Panthers could be targeting former Penn State quarterback

When it comes to former Penn State quarterback Will Levis, the punchline around State College remains the same: why would an NFL team want a guy that was beaten by Sean Clifford for the starting job twice? Well, it’s not as simple as who James Franklin would have picked.

What head coach James Franklin saw in former Penn State quarterback Will Levis was the mediocre QB that led the Kentucky Wildcats to a 7-6 season while throwing for 2,406 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 2022. On the contrary, what NFL scouts see with Will Levis is his massive 6-3, 232-pound frame and incredible arm strength/talent. Any solid scout will look at Levis and see potential, not the college product.

Since the Panthers need a QB — and Will Levis is a current betting favorite to go No. 1 this year — we could see the former Penn State quarterback end up with Carolina on day one of this year’s draft.

James Franklin still made the right call with Levis

Even if former Penn State quarterback Will Levis goes No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, Nittany Lion head coach James Franklin still made the right call with Clifford and Levis. Why? Simple: Clifford was the better quarterback in college.

Levis had a robust frame and solid arm, but as we saw a season ago, that arm was inconsistent, and his decision-making was not up to par. The Clifford vs. Levis debate was settled a year ago — The Kentucky Wildcats fell to 7-6 behind a subpar Will Levis; meanwhile, the Penn State Nittany Lions were lifted to an 11-2 finish with a Rose Bowl win all said and done. Levis will likely have a better professional career than Clifford, but Sean Clifford was the better college quarterback.

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