UNIVERSITY PARK — It might not have been the storied 1995 NFL Draft with Kerry Collins and Ki-Jana Carter, but plenty of Penn State players were littered among the picks at this year’s three-day event.

With the six picks taken in the 2023 NFL draft, Penn State becomes one of four schools — joining Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State — to produce at least five picks in each of the last six drafts. A total of 381 Nittany Lions have been selected all-time, which ranks seventh among Division I schools.

The unquestionable star was Joey Porter Jr., who was selected with the first pick — 32nd overall — on day two by his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers.

Porter was sitting there waiting for the Steelers to pluck, just like hometown quarterback Kenny Pickett of Pitt was in 2022.

Porter’s father played eight seasons as a four-time Pro Bowl linebacker for the Steelers.

“When that 412 popped up, I knew I was coming home,” Porter Jr. told reporters of the area code on the incoming phone call. Porter Jr. was a three-year starter at cornerback for Penn State, but surprisingly only had one interception in 34 games.

Porter Jr. was ranked as high as the No. 2 cornerback in some mock drafts, but he was passed over on draft day by Washington for Emmanuel Forbes (No. 16), New England for Christian Gonzalez (No. 17) and New York Giants for Deonte Banks (No. 24).

Reportedly, the Steelers fielded trade offers for the pick because quarterback Will Levis, another former Penn Stater, unexpectedly fell out of the first round, too.

The Arizona Cardinals took the trade offer from the Tennessee Titans, who selected Levis with the 33rd pick.

Porter traveled to Kansas City for the draft but was bitter to be passed over in the first round. Dropping to the second round meant millions off his first NFL contract. Returning to his hometown took away some of the sting.

“(Thursday) night I was mad,” Porter Jr. added. “I had an edge on me. This is the perfect way to end my day right here. I just forgot all about (Thursday) night. I’ve got a chip on my shoulder and I’m ready to prove myself.”

Four Nittany Lions were selected on the second day of the draft. After Porter, tight end Brenton Strange went 61st overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars, followed by offensive lineman Juice Scruggs at No. 62 to the Houston Texas and safety Ji’Avir Brown at No. 87 to the San Francisco 49ers.

On the final day, quarterback Sean Clifford went in the fifth round, 149th overall, to the Green Bay Packers; and wideout Parker Washington was taken in the sixth round by Jacksonville with the 185th pick. Clifford is Penn State’s 10th quarterback to be drafted and the third under Penn State head coach James Franklin.

“I could not be prouder of Sean for earning this opportunity with the Green Bay Packers,” Franklin said in a release. “It has been an honor to watch Sean grow into a man who exemplified our core values and what it meant to be a leader.