The St. James, New York native has been an elite player and leader for the Nittany Lions during his five years in Happy Valley.
He is the second Nittany Lion taken in the first round in the last two years following Grant Ament, who was drafted No. 1 overall by Archers LC last year.
This year's festival will kick off on Friday, April 30, to commemorate the last day of classes this spring.
A judge will hear arguments next month about whether former Penn State President Graham Spanier should begin serving a two-month county jail sentence for his conviction on a child endangerment charge.
The Nittany Lions are back in the poll's top 20 following a thrilling win in Columbus on Saturday.
Penn State's former standout linebacker will reportedly wrap up his NFL career after 11 seasons with the Cowboys, according to ESPN's Todd Archer.