After taking over the center spot on Penn State football’s offensive line last season, Hunter Nourzad is headed to the NFL Draft.

Nourzad spent the first four years of his collegiate career playing tackle for Cornell before transferring to Penn State before the 2022 season. As a transfer, Nourzad was ranked as the sixth-best offensive lineman and was No. 150 of all available transfers per 247Sports.

The Marietta, Georgia, native appeared in 11 games his first season in the blue and white, mostly at guard. After the departure of Juice Scruggs, Nourzad took over and started at center for every game last season.

During the 2023 campaign, Nourzad gave up no sacks on 416 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

At 6’3″ and 320 pounds, Nourzad brings power and size to the offensive line. While slightly undersized in terms of height, Nourzad still boasts above-average hand size, weight, and arm span. More importantly, though, he brings versatility.

During his collegiate career, Nourzad played all five positions on the line. He started playing left and right tackle at Cornell before playing both guard spots at Penn State with limited reps at the center position in 2022. Last year, all of his snaps came at center.

Nourzad’s tape will have to speak for itself, though, as the lineman has been dealing with a stress fracture in his fibula that’s limited his ability to work out and test in the lead-up to the NFL Draft. At this year’s NFL Combine, Nourzad’s only metric tested was the bench press where he managed 27 reps.

Right now, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has Nourzad with a prospect grade of 6.26 and says he’ll “eventually be an average starter.”

“The Cornell transfer not only possesses NFL-caliber core strength, technique, and body control, he also had quality performances against his toughest Big Ten competition,” Zielein wrote. “Nourzad has the feel and footwork for all run-blocking schemes and is strong enough to deal with a 0-technique lined up over him.”

Nourzad is expected to be drafted anywhere from the fourth round to the seventh round with teams including the Patriots, Bears, Panthers, and Dolphins emerging as potential landing spots for the sixth-year senior. With NFL teams always looking for depth on the line due to the physicality of the position, though, it’s hard to predict who might call the veteran’s name at this year’s draft.

The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft will begin at 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, with the last round ending on April 27. Every round will be televised on ESPN and NFL Network.