Five former Nittany Lions were selected to play in the 93rd annual East-West Shrine game held in St. Petersberg, Florida. These five former Penn Staters were five of nine total Penn State football graduates who have taken part or will take part in pre-draft games. The West prevailed, winning 14-10, despite a few solid performances by Penn State players.

The all-time reception leader in Penn State history, DaeSean Hamilton, had a solid outing, catching passes from former Buckeye opponent J.T. Barrett. Hamilton finished with two catches on five targets for a total of 42 yards, which was the second-highest reception yards total for the East. There were a few passes that he probably could have come down with in the fourth quarter, but he was unable to haul them in.

As for the defense, linebacker Jason Cabinda and cornerback Grant Haley both started for the East, with Cabinda showing his physical prowess by making a few big plays. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com noted of Cabinda that, “He was physical coming downhill to make plays, showing some thump inside. Cabinda was Penn State’s leading tackler in 2017, and it was easy to see why on Saturday. He can help an NFL team on defense and special teams.” Cabinda, in the eyes of Jeremiah, helped himself out with his performance.

Haley and linemen Parker Cothren and Curtis Cothran did not have noteworthy performances. Nevertheless, expect each Nittany Lion to receive consideration by NFL teams when this year’s draft opens in April.