It seems like pre-season leg injuries have become the newest Penn State tradition.  Two years ago, Sean Lee tore his ACL, and missed the entire 2008 season.  A year ago, it was Michael Mauti doing the same, and missing out the entire 2009 campaign.  Now, Curtis Drake is the latest Lion to go down, suffering a broken leg that should keep him out from 6-8 weeks, according to Fight On State.  It marks the end of a roller-coaster offseason for Drake, one that began with Drake rehabbing a broken foot, then saw him in the spotlight for a citation he received during a playful fight outside of a McDonalds with his friend, and incoming basketball player Taran Buie.

For Drake, who was expected to challenge, if not surpass, Brett Brackett as the team’s #3 wide receiver, this is very unfortunate.  Drake didn’t see too many important snaps at the onset of his true freshman season a year ago, but by midseason he had established himself as a jack of all trades for the Nittany Lions.  Though his 8 receptions, 4 carries, and 2 passes don’t seem terribly impressive, he showed true big-play ability, and looked ready to fill the role left by Chaz Powell, following Powell’s switch to the defensive side of the ball.

Slow States has an explanation of just what that time frame is: Drake will miss the Alabama game, and almost certainly will still be out of commission when Penn State heads to Iowa.  Frankly, I think this situation begs for a redshirt to be used on the sophomore.  If Drake can only play half the games in the 2010 season, his ability would be better served in 2013.  And, frankly, it’s not as though the loss of Drake would be the deciding factor in matchups with Ohio State, Indiana, or Michigan State.

Though this injury is a real shame, Penn State does have plenty of depth at the wide receiver position.  In addition to the aforementioned Brackett, Justin Brown displayed tremendous potential last season, and others like Devon Smith Christian Kuntz, Shawney Kersey, and Brandon Moseby-Felder are raring to see the field and could fit nicely in the slot.  And considering that the biggest question mark in Penn State’s passing offense is the quarterback, the Lions are poised to rely heavily on Evan Royster and the running game.  There would only be so many balls to go around, given the probability of a run-first offense.