Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544053
A P R I L 2 0 2 6 3 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M too, after making a strong impression at the combine. Kiper picked him as one of 13 combine standouts following his per- formance in Indianapolis, during which he ranked sixth among edge rushers with a 4.63 40-yard dash, fourth with a 39½- inch vertical leap and first with a broad jump of 10 feet, 11 inches. "Dennis-Sutton solidified his Day 2 status, and I think he's a second- rounder," Kiper wrote. "After posting his second straight 8.5-sack season — in- cluding six in his final five games — and getting 53 pressures, he showed off his burst at the combine. … When Dennis- Sutton is on his game, he shows some really strong pass-rushing traits." Allen and Singleton could also go on Day 2, though there's perhaps an even better possibility that one or both will end up as Day 3 choices. Singleton has been recovering from a foot injury he suffered at the Senior Bowl. The only test in which he participated was the bench press at Pro Day, where he did 25 reps. That total would have ranked second among the seven running backs who took part in the bench press at the combine. Allen didn't test at either the combine or Pro Day. One player who did take part in Pro Day — and likely helped himself — was receiver Trebor Peña. All three of Penn State's one-and- done transfer receivers from last season — Peña, Kyron Hudson and Devonte Ross — were in the spotlight during Allar's performance, and the one who took full advantage of the attention was Peña. The former Syracuse receiver was the go-to deep target for Allar on his routes-on-air session. Peña also tested the best. While the three-cone drill isn't as popular at the combine as it used to be, his number (6.90) would have been third-best among the receivers there. His superb body con- trol and transition skills also showed up on the shuttle run, and his time of 4.11 seconds would have been second-best among combine receivers. Peña looks to be a potential slot re- ceiver. His 4.52-second 40-yard dash wasn't special but was expected. In the role he might play at the next level, true deep speed is less important than short- area quickness. Peña may now be on the radar as a late Day 3 player with limited upside but a high floor. Two other potential Day 3 picks are de- fensive tackle Zane Durant and offensive tackle Drew Shelton. Durant fared well at the combine, fin- ishing first among defensive tackles with a 4.75-second 40-yard dash and third with a 33.5-inch vertical leap. With those numbers, he did what he needed to do to establish himself as an appealing choice for teams seeking a hyper-athletic line- man with the ability to penetrate and get upfield. Nevertheless, he was a full par- ticipant in on-field drills at Pro Day. "I just love to play ball," Durant said. "I just want to come showcase it again. I like to play football." Shelton may be the most underrated of Penn State's draft hopefuls. He's big enough to play tackle, and at the com- bine he showed the explosive movement skills needed to play the position at the next level. His issue has been consistency, especially in pass protection. But if he doesn't work out at tackle, he's an easy convert to guard and could be a future starter in the NFL. Shelton did not work out on Pro Day due to a hamstring injury he sustained at the combine. However, he's been in con- tact with 30 NFL teams and has league interest. He was adamant that he's a tackle at the next level. Other Penn State draft hopefuls in- clude offensive tackle Nolan Rucci, tight end Khalil Dinkins and center Nick Dawkins. Also taking part in Pro Day were punters Gabriel Nwosu and Riley Thompson and long snapper Tyler Du- zansky. It's always tricky trying to pre- dict the market for specialists. Only one punter was chosen last year, and there's only been one long snapper taken in the past four drafts. ■ P E N N S T A T E D R A F T P R O S P E C T S B Y T H E N U M B E R S Name Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 Bench Vert. Broad Shuttle 3-Cone Projection Olaivavega Ioane OG 6-4 326 — — 31.5" 8'8" — — 1st round Drew Allar QB 6-5 232 — — — — — — 2nd-3rd round Dani Dennis-Sutton DE 6-6 261 4.63 26 reps 39.5" 10'11" — 6.90 2nd-3rd round Zakee Wheatley S 6-3 202 4.62 — 33" 10'4" 4.11 6.89 3rd-4th round Kaytron Allen RB 5-11 218 — — — — — — 4th-5th round Nicholas Singleton RB 6-0 219 — 25 reps — — — — 4th-5th round Zane Durant DT 6-1 293 4.75 — 33.5" 9'4" — — 4th-5th round Drew Shelton OT 6-5 313 5.16 — 31" 9'4" — — 4th-5th round Trebor Peña WR 5-10 187 4.52 19 reps 35.5" 10'3" 4.11 6.90 7th round-UDFA Nolan Rucci OT 6-8 314 5.44 — 30" 9'0" 4.87 7.89 7th-round-UDFA Khalil Dinkins TE 6-4 251 4.72 25 reps 32.5" 9'11" 4.33 7.28 UDFA Nick Dawkins C 6-4 305 5.16 — 32" 9'4" — — UDFA Gabriel Nwosu P/KO 6-6 313 — — — — — — UDFA Tyler Duzansky LS 6-3 234 4.97 20 reps — 9'7" — — UDFA