Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1462941
1 2 A P R I L 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M DAVID ECKERT DAVIDECKERT98@GMAIL.COM P enn State's 2022 NFL Draft pros- pects achieved mixed results at the NFL Scouting Combine. There were eight former Nittany Lions on hand when the league held its gather- ing for draft hopefuls at Lucas Oil Sta- dium in Indianapolis March 1-7. Those eight players were put through their paces on the field while also conducting interviews with teams and media. A number of draft analysts updated their projections after the combine, in which 324 players were invited to partic- ipate. Here's a player-by-player look at how Penn State's draft class was trend- ing as of mid-March: J A H A N D O T S O N : D o t s o n 's 4.43-second 40-yard dash ranked 11th among wideouts at the combine. He was 10th with a time of 7.28 seconds in the three-cone drill, 11th in the vertical leap at 36 inches and 23rd in the broad jump at 121 inches. The combine didn't seem to have im- pacted his stock much, with analysts divided on whether he'll be a first- round pick, much as they were before the event. The Ringer's Danny Kelly has him at No. 25 overall to Buffalo, which is the high-water mark for Dotson among the mock drafts sampled by BWI. At Sports Illustrated, Ric Serritella has him going 30th overall to Kansas City. Dane Bru- gler of The Athletic has Dotson going in the early second round, with the New York Jets using the 35th overall pick on the Penn State standout. The Pro Football Network has him go- ing 53rd overall to the Raiders in its seven-round mock, while Pro Football Focus lists him as its No. 46 overall pros- pect. Dotson is below two of his former Penn State teammates in latter rankings, but PFF's scouts note that he dropped only two of his 93 catchable targets dur- ing the 2021 season. One anonymous NFC scouting direc- tor told NFL.com that Dotson is a dif- ficult player to evaluate. "He's got some weaknesses that are going to give him trouble in the league," the scout said, " but you can't really crush him for them because he can really run and he's a very smart player." Following the combine, the NFL Next Gen Stats team noted that Dotson's size (5-foot-11, 178 pounds) and measurables were comparable to those of standout Seattle wide receiver Tyler Lockett. Se- lected in the third round of the 2015 draft out of Kansas State, the 5-10, 182-pound Lockett earned All-Pro honors in each of his first three seasons in the league. ARNOLD EBIKETIE: Coming off a stellar performance in his lone season at Penn State, the standout edge rusher, who transferred in from Temple ahead of the 2021 season, probably made the best impression of all the Penn State pros- pects in Indianapolis. He ranked second in both the vertical leap and broad jump among defensive ends with marks of 38 and 128 inches, respectively. His 21 reps on the bench press tied for sixth. At The Athletic, Brugler has the At- lanta Falcons selecting Ebiketie 43rd overall. The Pro Football Network has him going ahead of Dotson with the 46th pick to the Minnesota Vikings. Pro Football Focus has Ebiketie ranked 41st among all draft prospects, noting that he "beat up on quality tackles en Lions' Draft Hopefuls Make Their Case At NFL Combine Defensive end Arnold Ebiketie finished second in the Big Ten in tackles for loss (18) and third in sacks (9.5) in his lone season with the Nittany Lions. He's being projected as a second-round NFL Draft pick and may end up being the first Penn State player selected. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL