Cardinals selected Penn State LB Jesse Luketa with the No. 256 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
A two-time team captain, Luketa (6’3/253) played off-ball linebacker for his first three seasons but moved primarily to the edge in 2021. Luketa had his best season, earning Honorable Mention All-Big Ten recognition while accruing 61 tackles and 8.5 TFLs to go with an 81.2 overall defensive grade. He didn’t do much to distinguish himself in pre-draft testing, running a 50th percentile 4.89 40 with a troubling 18 bench reps that helped drag down his pedestrian 5.68 relative athletic score. Luketa doesn’t have the twitch or move set to play edge at the next level and will likely have to rely on his ample special teams experience, 627 snaps in four years, in order to secure a roster spot. He is likely looking at a career arc similar to Ola Adeniyi.