The Houston Texans selected Juice Scruggs with the No. 62 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Scruggs, who was pegged by many as a day-three prospect, became the second Nittany Lion off the board in two picks after Brenton Strange landed with the Jaguars at No. 61.

Scruggs is now the third Penn Stater to hear his name called in this year’s draft, behind Joey Porter Jr. and Strange, who all rounded out as second-round choices.

Scruggs was a five-year player for the Nittany Lions. He committed to Penn State as part of its recruiting Class of 2018 but saw just one rep on the field that season.

In 2019, disaster struck Scruggs’ career. The lineman was involved in a car crash just before spring practice that put him in the hospital for a week with a concussion and fractured vertebrae. He missed the entirety of the 2019 season.

Despite the injuries, Scruggs bounced back. In Penn State’s nine-game season in 2020, Scruggs made appearances in seven games. At the end of the season, Scruggs was presented the Tim Shaw Thrive Award, an award within the Penn State programs given to a player that overcame adversities and inspired teammates.

Scruggs made his most significant impact on the field in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He took the starting center job, starting the remaining 26 games of his collegiate career. In 2021, Scruggs was given an All-Big Ten honorable mention by coaches and media, as well as earned recognition within Penn State as the unit’s best offensive lineman.

Before the 2022 season, Scruggs was voted a team captain. After the conclusion of the campaign, he was gifted an All-Big Ten honorable mention nod by the media and warranted a third-team All-Big Ten selection by coaches.

With his selection, Scruggs becomes the first former Penn State center to be selected in the draft since his predecessor Michal Menet was picked by the Cardinals in 2021.