Penn State's Amos, James drafted; Barnes signs with Jets

Two Penn State players - safety Adrian Amos and tight end Jesse James - were selected Saturday on the final day of the NFL draft, but three more Nittany Lions reached free-agent agreements after the draft ended.

The 6-foot, 1/2-inch, 218-pound Amos was taken in the fifth round by the Chicago Bears with the 142d overall selection. The 6-7, 261-pound James, of Glassport, Pa., about 12 miles from Pittsburgh, went later in the same round (No. 160) to the Steelers.

In all, three Nittany Lions were chosen. Offensive tackle Donovan Smith was a second-round selection (No. 34 overall) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday.

Three more Penn State players were picked up after the draft, all agreeing to free-agent deals: defensive end and Northeast High graduate Deion Barnes with the New York Jets, linebacker Mike Hull with the Miami Dolphins, and guard Miles Dieffenbach with the Steelers.

"Things didn't go the way I thought it was going to go," the 6-4, 257-pound Barnes, who left Penn State with a year of eligibility remaining, said on Twitter. "But I'm proud to say I'm going to be a NY Jet."

Barnes, an honorable-mention all-Big Ten selection last season, was second on the Lions in both sacks (6.0) and tackles for loss (12.5).

Amos also was an honorable-mention all-Big Ten selection last season, tying for the team lead with three interceptions. James, who gave up his final year of eligibility, was third in receiving with 38 catches for 396 yards and three touchdowns. He broke Ted Kwalick's record for most touchdown receptions by a tight end with 11.

Hull, who was expected to be a late-round selection after being named Big Ten linebacker of the year in 2014, made 140 tackles - almost twice the number as the No. 2 Penn State tackler - with 75 solos and 10.5 for loss. Dieffenbach played just five regular-season games after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury the previous spring.