Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1462941
A P R I L 2 0 2 2 13 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M route to a 90.5 pass-rushing grade and 52 pressures" during the 2021 season. JAQUAN BRISKER: The former Penn State safety had a tough week in Indy. He suffered a back injury during the bench press portion of the workouts, which no doubt impacted his perfor- mances. Brisker's 22 reps on the bench were second-best among safeties. He ran a 4.53-second 40 (10th), posted a 124-inch broad jump (sixth) and a 34.5-inch verti- cal (12th). Brugler and the Pro Football Network both have him going late in the second round to San Francisco with the 61st overall pick. Sports Illustrated is slightly higher on Brisker, predicting that he'll land in Philadelphia with the 51st overall selection. Penn State has never had a defensive back taken in the first round of the draft. Brisker doesn't appear poised to end that drought, but he is the first Nittany Lion to appear in the Pro Football Focus rank- ings this year, placing 38th overall. PFF described him as "an incredibly sound safety who will be coveted by teams who have specific box roles." BRANDON SMITH: Smith tested very well, as many suspected he would. His 4.57-second 40 ranked fourth among linebackers. He also finished fourth in the broad jump (128 inches) and the vertical (37.5). The Pro Football Network, which put together the only mock draft in this sam- ple to go beyond the second round, has Smith going 106th overall to Cleveland. TARIQ CASTRO-FIELDS: The only event in which Castro-Fields par- ticipated at the combine was the 40. He turned in a 4.38-second time, which ranked fifth among cornerbacks. The Pro Football Network believes that performance will be sufficient for him to go 125th overall to Las Vegas. RASHEED WALKER: The veteran offensive tackle did not participate in any events in Indy. He had been injured late last year and did not play in the last two regular-season games or the Outback Bowl against Arkansas. He did make the trip to Tampa for the game, where he was seen using crutches to get around. Penn State does not disclose injuries, so it's not known why he missed the last three games of his college career. But whatever caused him to sit out was likely still af- fecting him in Indianapolis. Walker did get a shout-out from a po- tential No. 1 overall pick in the upcom- ing draft. In his media interview at the combine, Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson cited Walker as one of the toughest offensive linemen he faced at the college level. Despite seeing his college career end prematurely due to an injury, Walker is projected by the Pro Football Network to be the first selection of the fifth round, going 161st overall to the New Orleans Saints. JESSE LUKETA: Working out with the defensive ends rather than the line- backers, Luketa suffered an injury while running his second 40-yard dash. His 4.89 mark there was 16th at the position group. He also posted a 114-inch broad jump (18th) and a 37.5-inch vertical leap (fifth). The Pro Football Network has him go- ing to Tampa Bay with the 170th overall pick. JORDAN STOUT: Of the eight Nit- tany Lions who took part in the com- bine, Stout was the only one who failed to appear in any of the subsequent mock drafts. Punters are rarely drafted, so that was not surprising. Named Punter of the Year in the Big Ten last season, Stout turned in an impressive 4.65-second 40- yard time in Indianapolis. ■ PSU's Pro Day Showcases 15 Players All 32 NFL teams were represented when Penn State held its Pro Day workouts at Holuba Hall on March 24. The coaches and scouts who were on hand had an opportunity to see 15 former Nittany Lions in action. Wide receiver Jahan Dotson had everyone's attention when he went through on-field pass-catching drills. Super senior quarterback Sean Clifford rifled a number of strong throws in Dotson's direction, and the 5-foot- 11, 178-pound wideout hauled in almost all of them. Dotson could have been in this position following the 2020 season but elected to come back. It was the right decision, he said, even if Penn State didn't accomplish the team goals the receiver had hoped it would. "I wanted to win a championship," he said. "That was the biggest reason I came back. We didn't do that [but] you can't dwell on it. You've got to move forward." Several recent mock drafts have Dotson going in the first round on April 28, perhaps to the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills or Green Bay Packers. Dotson said he tries to avoid the speculation, but family and friends often let him know where ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. or Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network think he could land. It's all a part of a process that he hopes will culminate in his name being called on Day 1. The other Nittany Lions who worked out during Pro Day were defensive end Arnold Ebiketie, cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields, defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo, linebacker/defensive end Jesse Luketa, linebackers El- lis Brooks, Brandon Smith and Max Chizmar, safeties Jaquan Brisker and Drew Hartlaub, receiver Benjamin Wilson, offensive linemen Rasheed Walker and Eric Wilson, and specialists Jordan Stout and Vlad Hilling. Best known as a special teams standout at Penn State, Hartlaub turned heads with the day's fastest 40-yard times: 4.22 seconds on his first attempt and 4.30 on his second. Hartlaub's 4.22 would have matched the fast- est time ever clocked at the NFL Combine, run by Washington wide receiver John Ross III in 2017. — Greg Pickel Jahan Dotson is hoping to hear his named called on Day 1 of the NFL Draft. Penn State hasn't had a wide receiver selected in the first round since Bryant Johnson in 2003. PHOTO BY THOMAS FRANK CARR