NFL Insider Jordan Schultz “100% Sure” Johnny Petrishen Winds Up on NFL Roster

Before Johnny Petrishen took the field at Pitt’s indoor practice facility on March 22, he told his dad that his performance on the field would probably be the most job interview of his life.

With Pitt’s Pro Day last month, it was Petrishen’s only chance to perform for NFL scouts, coaches and executives since he wasn’t invited to any postseason bowl games or the NFL Combine. Taking advantage of the masses of scouts in attendance to see Kenny Pickett, Petrishen nailed his NFL interview.

“(NFL teams will) notice it, and it’ll help him a lot given that he doesn’t have a lot of game tape,” NFL insider/analyst Jordan Schultz told PSN. “A lot of these guys that are coming out as one year or two year starters, the Pro Day or the Combine can be a huge difference. It can increase your stock two or three rounds, and I think (Petrishen) went from being thought of as a secondary prospect to someone who has really helped him and teams view as a real asset.”

.@Pitt_FB LB Johnny JP Petrishen is an interesting player in this draft:

1st year as LB: 75 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 INTs (1,000 career snaps on special teams). At 227 pounds, ran a 4.53 with a 38.5-inch vert. Shuttle time would have been fastest among LBs at the Combine.

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 13, 2022

It was a long road for Petrishen. The Lower Burrell native and Pittsburgh Central Catholic star originally committed to Penn State. It was a turbulent time with a season-ending injury in 2016 and mainly special teams duty during his time in Happy Valley.

Petrishen transferred back home to Pittsburgh, enrolling at Pitt and after two seasons as a light reserve linebacker, finally making a switch from safety, he broke out in 2021 as a Star linebacker with 74 tackles (29 solo), 8.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, three interceptions (including one returned for a touchdown against Georgia Tech) and a pass defense.

Schultz was surprised at just how fast of an athlete Petrishen (6-foot-1, 230 pounds) was at his size, running a 4.53 40-yard dash and putting in a 38.5-inch vertical at Pitt’s Pro Day.

LB John Petrishen showing off so far. 20 bench press reps, 38.5 vertical, 10.0 broad jump at #Pitt pro day. pic.twitter.com/z27SXWEJV5

— Christopher Carter (@CarterCritiques) March 21, 2022

“The fact that he played one year of linebacker and was really productive,” Schultz said. “I think in his case because of how smart he is, his acumen and also the fact that he played so much special teams, over 1,000 snaps, he’s got such a good baseline of knowledge.”

Despite a lack of exposure in the 2022 NFL Draft process, watching Petrishen’s film and hearing from NFL teams, Schultz is very, very confident that he’ll end up on an NFL team in the fall.

“I think he’s 100 percent going to be on a roster,” Schultz said. “I don’t know if it’s gonna be as a priority free agent or a late round pick, but there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll be on a roster. He’s too good of a player. Too much upside.”

And of course, with the amount of positive buzz around Petrishen the person, as opposed to just the football player, Schultz said it matters. The way that everyone, teammates, coaches, etc. love him, that’s a legitimate factor when looking at bubble draft picks and undrafted free agents.

The 2022 NFL Draft is just under two weeks away, scheduled to begin on Thursday, April 28 at 8 p.m. at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, and if Petrishen is drafted it likely won’t be until Saturday at some point. But all he needs is a chance.