5 things you should know about Saints 1st round draft pick Trevor Penning of Northern Iowa | Saints

The New Orleans Saints selected Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning with the 19th overall selection in the NFL Draft on Thursday in Las Vegas.

With the Saints looking to replace Terron Armstead at left tackle, Penning was the prospect who was mentioned the most as a potential pick for New Orleans in the first round.

Penning will likely be competing with veteran James Hurst for the starting gig at left tackle headed into the 2022 season.

The Pick: @TPenning58 💪

📺: 2022 #NFLDraft on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/B1iQwGgBBf

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) April 29, 2022

Here are five things you should know about Penning:

Trevor Penning turned heads at Northern Iowa

While Penning doesn’t come from a college football powerhouse, he was regarded as one of the top players in FCS. He was named a finalist for the 2021 Walter Payton Award, which goes to the top player in all of FCS. He was the only offensive lineman to make the list.

Trevor Penning can move for a big man

At just over 6-foot-7, 325 pounds, Penning certainly brings more than prototypical size to the position. He also has above average speed for a lineman his size with a 40-yard dash of 4.89 seconds at the Northern Iowa pro day.

Trevor Penning didn’t get much recruiting attention

Overlooked by Iowa State and Iowa, Penning landed at Northern Iowa as his only Div. I scholarship offer. He quickly bulked up from 260 pounds to 320 pounds at Northern Iowa and caught the eye of pro scouts once he started receiving playing time. He played his high school football at Newman Catholic in Mason City, Iowa.

Trevor Penning stuck with Northern Iowa

While plenty of players in smaller programs are looking these days to find a bigger name program to finish their careers, Penning thing to stuck it out at Northern Iowa. A report by the Des Moines Register said that Notre Dame reached out to see if he’d be interested in joining the Fighting Irish, but he decided to stay at Northern Iowa.

Trevor Penning shows steady improvement

There was some concern when he first arrived at Northern Iowa that Penning may not be strong enough to compete on the Div. I level, but he steadily improved throughout his time in college. He’ll still have things to work on with the Saints, but he has a history of getting better with hard work and coaching.