Hunter Nourzad spent six seasons on the offensive lines of Cornell and Penn State, getting experience at center, guard and tackle. He’s mainly a center, but that versatility caught the eyes of the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, who drafted him Saturday in the fifth round (159th choice overall).
His draft status was hindered by a minor stress reaction in his fibula. Nourzad (6-foot-3 1/8, 317 pounds) told reporters before the draft that he believed the injury occurred during the 2023 season and worsened when he switched his training schedule before the NFL Combine.
He did not work out at the combine, but he met with several teams during his time in Indianapolis where they were able to access his medical condition.
“My medical was really good, obviously besides my fibula,” he told OnwardState.com. “Besides that, the interviews I had I thought went really well.”
The Chiefs thought so, too, and were especially impressed when they found out Nourzad allowed only two sacks in 401 pass-block snaps last season.
An Ivy League cum laude graduate, he finished his career with 20 consecutive games at right tackle and was named second-team All-America by the American Football Coaches Association in 2021 and third team by Phil Steele, where he was also Ivy League Offensive Lineman of the Year.
During the 2022 season at Penn State, he was named All-Big Ten honorable mention.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.