Penn State had eight players selected in this year’s NFL Draft, tied for the most of the James Franklin era with 2022 and the Nittany Lions’ most overall since they had 10 picks in 1996.
With the likes of first-round picks Olu Fashanu and Chop Robinson off to the NFL, it’s time to take an early look at the potential 2025 class. Could the Nittany Lions produce an even bigger draft haul?
The heralded 2022 recruiting class that ranked No. 6 in the 247Sports Composite now steps into the spotlight. That class was headlined by Nicholas Singleton, the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year, and Drew Allar, a five-star quarterback. There’s sure to be plenty of discourse this year about Allar, whose physique has long drawn comparisons to Josh Allen and whose big arm surely will impress someone. He has yet to put it all together at Penn State but will be entering his second season as the starter with a reboot on offense coming under new coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.
Read Dane Brugler’s early mock draft here, and let’s start the countdown to 2025 for Penn State:
Projected 2025 headliners
Edge Abdul Carter
Carter is switching from linebacker to defensive end this offseason, and Brugler projects him as one of two Penn State first-round picks, at No. 7 to the Arizona Cardinals. He approached the coaching staff about the move, partly because he knows edge rushers are more coveted by NFL franchises than traditional linebackers. Carter said his goal is to “play fast and not think too much.” He spent time working with Robinson and the defensive ends at practice last season.
Robinson’s 4.48-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine turned heads, and Carter said he’s even faster than Robinson. Carter is listed at 6 feet 3, 250 pounds and said that unless told otherwise this summer, he plans to play at that weight, which is similar to what he played at last year.
Abdul Carter had 16 TFLs in his first two years. (Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch / USA Today)
RB Nicholas Singleton
It’s all about getting to the second NFL contract, and no position has faced more scrutiny at the next level than running back. Part of Penn State’s recruiting pitch in recent years is that it can use running backs in a platoon to limit wear and tear, as it has largely done since sending Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders to the NFL in back-to-back years. Singleton and Kaytron Allen play enough to show what they can do, but running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider is adamant about getting these backs to the league as fresh as possible. How they continue to manage the two co-starters will be no different.
There’s no denying that the 6-foot, 226-pound Singleton has looked special in moments. He averaged 6.8 yards per carry as a freshman in 2022 while racking up nine runs of 30-plus yards — including a signature long touchdown in the Rose Bowl. Big plays were harder to come by in 2023, when he fell to 4.4 yards per carry and had zero runs of 30-plus yards. He reminded everyone of his talent in the Peach Bowl, though, rushing eight times for 50 yards and catching four passes for 86 yards with a 48-yard touchdown. If he makes big plays more consistently again, his draft stock will skyrocket.
Kotelnicki has experience building productive rushing offenses, and with questions at wide receiver, the Nittany Lions would be wise to lean on their experienced one-two punch in the backfield.
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RB Kaytron Allen
Get ready for lots of debate about which of the two running backs NFL teams would rather have. The 5-11, 225-pound Allen was the more productive back during his sophomore season, and his punishing running style is part of what makes him so effective. Making sure he stays healthy while running people over is key.
Penn State is recruiting running backs at a high level and is also preparing as if it will be without both backs after the 2024 season, with three verbally committed in the 2025 class. Much can happen in the coming months, but this is likely the last go-around for Allen and Singleton, each of whom has more than 300 carries through two seasons.
QB Drew Allar
We’ve arrived at the doorstep of Allar’s junior season. Penn State eased Allar in as a true freshman behind Sean Clifford, and when he was handed the reins to the offense, Allar’s sophomore season — much like the rest of the offense — fell flat, especially in big games. He often looked panicked and didn’t have much help from an underperforming receiving corps. Though the 6-5, 241-pound Allar is known for his arm strength, Penn State refused to push the ball down the field.
Allar had just one game in which he threw for 300 yards (season opener vs. West Virginia) and he ranked 93rd in number of completions of 30-plus yards (11). In minimizing risks, he threw only two interceptions, and the flashes were there (60-yard pass to Omari Evans at Ford Field) to remind everyone of his NFL potential. No player has more to gain from the new offense than Allar, though it’s anyone’s guess how it will go. Allar could develop into one of the top quarterbacks in the class or could be back for a senior season. At this point, I’m not sure which would surprise me more.
DE Dani Dennis-Sutton
Dennis-Sutton was the team’s top returning defensive end with Robinson and Isaac gone — but suddenly he has competition for that honor with Carter switching positions. A 6-5, 270-pound junior, Dennis-Sutton has long been considered the next big thing at defensive end as a former five-star recruit, and Brugler agrees: He has Dennis-Sutton as Penn State’s second 2025 first-round pick, going 26th to the Houston Texans.
Though he has only three career starts, he actually played more snaps last season (429) than Isaac and Robinson (who missed time due to injury) and finished with six tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. He was second on the team with 30 pressures, per TruMedia.
Penn State led the nation in sacks last season, and Dennis-Sutton has a chance to break out as a star in forming a potent pass-rushing tandem with Carter.
Dani Dennis-Sutton was a five-star recruit in the 2021 class. (Matthew O’Haren / USA Today)
Players on the rise
TE Tyler Warren
Warren was on the fence about declaring after last season. Without Theo Johnson, Warren becomes Penn State’s unquestioned top tight end. He’s a former high school quarterback whose versatility will surely intrigue teams. He tied Johnson for second on the team with 34 catches last season.
“Another year in the run game will help him,” tight end coach Ty Howle said last season. “Tyler is a really good run-blocker. One of the things we’re going to focus on is really getting his hands inside all the time, pad level and having a plan.”
WR Julian Fleming
In December, Fleming made up his mind and said this spring that he was either hitting the transfer portal or heading to the NFL rather than returning to Ohio State for a fifth season. The decision was a toss-up. Now 23 years old, the 6-2, 209-pound senior left the Buckeyes and said he needed one more season to prove to talent evaluators and to himself what kind of receiver he can be when healthy. With KeAndre Lambert-Smith transferring to Auburn, Fleming could be Allar’s top target and has one final season to show more flashes of the five-star billing he received out of high school.
WR Harrison Wallace III
Like Fleming, injuries have derailed the redshirt junior’s production thus far. The 6-1, 196-pound Wallace’s vertical jump garnered attention last winter when he went viral after jumping and hitting a ledge in the weight room. There may not be another player on the roster who coaches and teammates have more frequently said is the guy to watch, but he just hasn’t been healthy enough to showcase what teammates have seen in practices. He had seven catches in the opener against WVU last year but just 12 the rest of the way.
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— uno (@drelambertt) February 28, 2023
S Jaylen Reed
The senior started every game last season and figures to be on the field even more showcasing his versatility as the “Lion” — or nickelback in Tom Allen’s defense. An All-Big Ten honorable mention honoree last season, Reed has become a mainstay on the field over the past few years. He finished last season with 46 tackles, four TFLs and two interceptions.
OL Sal Wormley
The 6-foot-3, 330-pound Wormley has started 26 games at right guard entering his final season of eligibility. An All-Big Ten honorable mention honoree in 2022 and 2023, he’s the most experienced lineman on the roster after the Nittany Lions lost three draft picks up front in Fashanu, Caedan Wallace and Hunter Nourzad. Penn State has had seven offensive linemen picked in the past three drafts after it had only five in the previous 10 drafts.
CB Jalen Kimber
The former Georgia and Florida defensive back has two seasons of eligibility remaining, but he’s banking on being here one season and moving on. Kimber said as much when he committed and when he met with reporters this spring. So, if all goes according to Kimber’s plan, he’ll start this year or play heavily in the rotation and set himself up for the NFL. Seeing how Penn State’s cornerbacks have performed under Terry Smith was part of the appeal of coming here for Kimber and fellow transfer A.J. Harris. Penn State will play a lot of corners, as usual, and Kimber didn’t come here to sit around.
Wild cards
OT Nolan Rucci
Like Fleming, Rucci is a former five-star recruit from Pennsylvania who is returning to his home state to try to reach his potential. The Wisconsin transfer primarily worked at right tackle in the spring, but he can play on either side. With two years of eligibility remaining and a changing physique where he continues gaining weight to match his 6-8 frame (he’s listed at 305 pounds), Rucci first must win the starting right tackle spot this preseason.
S Kevin Winston Jr.
The junior started every game last season and is already starting to look the part as a big-time safety. At this point, it’s likely just a matter of if he’s here for one more season or two. Winston was an All-Big Ten honorable mention honoree last season, when he led the team with 61 tackles and broke up five passes.
LB Kobe King
The middle linebacker is expected to be one of the leaders on defense. It’s also the first time the redshirt junior is not playing with his twin brother, cornerback Kalen King, who was picked by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round on Saturday. Kobe became a starter last season and was an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection, finishing second on the Nittany Lions with 59 tackles.
Keep in mind …
• Penn State will have at least two defensive tackles who move on after this season. Dvon Ellies and Hakeem Beamon will both be out of eligibility. Zane Durant, a junior, will be one of the more intriguing players on this roster. Durant (6-1, 288) started 11 of 13 games last season. If he’s productive enough, will it be the last year for Durant too?
• Drew Shelton has long been the projected left tackle of the future and has even shown flashes in that role when forced to start in place of the injured Fashanu as a freshman. It would seem likely that Shelton has two seasons left here, but you never know.
• There could be a serious logjam of talent at cornerback in the coming years. We need to first figure out who starts this season between Harris, Kimber, Cam Miller, Zion Tracy, Elliot Washington II and spring standout Audavion Collins before figuring out what the future of the position looks like.
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(Top photo of Drew Allar and Kaytron Allen: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
2024-04-30 16:30:41
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