The NFL Combine is set to get underway tomorrow and Penn State will have a large contingent — nine to be exact — of Nittany Lions in Indianapolis. While interviews and medical testing will be happening throughout the next few days, the on-the-field workouts are what fans will be watching. See below for when each Penn Stater will take the field in Indy.
Thursday, 2/26
DE Dani Dennis-Sutton
Current Draft Projection: Round 2-3
I don’t know if anyone has the potential to have a better combine than DDS.
At 6-foot-5, 268 pounds, DDS looks like he was created in a lab to play football. He has long arms, a chiseled frame, and a whole lot of explosion. Although his change or direction and fluidity isn’t always there, that shouldn’t hold him back on something like the 40-yard dash or vertical jump. I think he solidifies his spot as a Day 2 guy.
DT Zane Durant
Current Draft Projection: Round 4-5
Durant’s gonna be a fun one because although he’s quite undersized for an NFL defensive tackle at 6-foot flat and 290 pounds, he’s quite the athlete. In Bruce Feldman’s “freak list” from last offseason, he had Durant down as having a 4.82 forty and a 30.5-inch vertical. Going sub 4.8 and going over 30 inches on the vertical will get some eyebrows raised for Durant, though his lack of size won’t make him an ideal fit for a lot of NFL schemes.
Friday, 2/27
TE Khalil Dinkins
Current Draft Projection: Round 7-UDFA
Dinkins got what I would consider a surprise invite given that other notable Nittany Lions like Nolan Rucci and Trebor Pena were passed over. That is likely because Dinkins should test as one of the most athletic tight ends in the draft class. Like the aforementioned Durant, Dinkins was on Feldman’s “freak list” thanks to a 4.5 flat forty and a 10-0 broad jump. Toss in that Dinkins is a good, willing blocker and the increasing popularity of using 2-3 tight end sets in the NFL, and I guess it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise Dinkins is in Indy.
S Zakee Wheatley
Current Draft Projection: Round 2-3
Out of anyone on this list, I think it could be argued that Wheatley improved his stock the most this past season. Now, he’ll be in Indy hoping to solidify himself as a Day 2 pick. Personally, I’m not expecting Wheatley to completely light things up, but that’s the beauty of how well he played — he doesn’t have to. If he just shows himself to be a good, solid athlete like everyone expects, that would be a successful weekend for Wheatley.
Saturday, 2/28
QB Drew Allar
Current Draft Projection: Round 4-5
Ah, Drew Allar. Good timing from me writing this post because we just got word from Adam Schefter that Allar will be throwing after recovering from ankle surgery.
No word on if he’ll run the gamut on the other athletic testing, but I’m not particularly sure a forty time or broad jump is the question for Allar. It’ll be those interviews as NFL teams see what went wrong for Allar down the stretch of his college career.
RB Nick Singleton
Current Draft Projection: Round 3-4
There will be no athletic testing for Singleton after he broke his foot at the Senior Bowl, which is a real shame because I think Singleton would have put on a show in the forty, the broad jump, and the vertical. Instead, it’ll just be interviews and some doctors checking out that foot.
RB Kaytron Allen
Current Draft Projection: Round 3-4
I’m really curious what we see from Kaytron on Saturday. Conventional wisdom is that Kaytron is a better pure running back than athlete so the combine likely won’t do him much favors, at least when it comes to the more explosive testing like the broad jump and forty. But can Kaytron surprise? The average forty time for a running back is right around 4.50 — can Kaytron get himself in the 4.5s? That would be huge for his draft stock.
Sunday, 3/1
OG Vega Ioane
Current Draft Projection: Round 1
Ioane seems locked into the first round provided he doesn’t like fall on his face or something, but he could work his way up into the top half of the draft with a strong Sunday. I think everyone knows Ioane’s strength is, well, his strength, but can he display some extra explosiveness? We know Ioane does have some quickness when he gets moving.
OT Drew Shelton
Current Draft Projection: Round 4-5
Once again, we have another guy who I think will test extremely well. For Shelton’s sake, he’ll need to. He doesn’t have overwhelming size or bulk for an NFL offensive lineman, so his calling card will need to be his athleticism and quick feet.
