What to Watch From Penn State's NFL Draft Class
Daniel Jeremiah, NFL Network's lead draft analyst, recently conducted a conference call to preview the upcoming 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Ten Penn State football players are headed to the NFL job fair to position themselves for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Jeremiah covered plenty of ground regarding Penn State's prospects, even including a future player in his sights. Here's what he said about the Nittany Lions.
Olu Fashanu is locked into the top 10
Penn State's All-America offensive tackle is a consensus top-10 pick in mocks. Asked about the New York Jets' prospects at No. 10, Jeremiah said he didn't expect Fashanu to be there.
"He has the ideal frame, ideal length," Jeremiah said of Fashanu, who is 6-6, 317 pounds. "The Ohio State game this year was kind of the one that people will point to where he got in some trouble where his eyes were kind of in the wrong place. He gave up his chest and got bulled and moved around a little bit, but really on the whole I think his tape is pretty solid. He would be plug and play. I think he can play on the left and on the right."
Where is Kalen King in the latest draft projections?
The Penn State cornerback, who began the 2023 season with first-round grades, seems to be slipping. Jeremiah said King might even be available on Day 3 of the draft, grading him in the "fourth-round range."
"Look, I don't think Kalen had the year that he would want," Jeremiah said. "The tough thing is, when you have marquee players in yourconference at a position that you're going to go up against, that's the first tape everybody is going to watch. So when you are watching Penn State and you've got a corner, you are going to pop on the Ohio State game. That's the first game you're going to watch, and Marvin Harrison got after him a little bit in that game. That's the first impression that's hard to shake."
Penn State's defensive ends are drawing notice
Jeremiah said that scouts evaluating Big Ten offensive linemen should grade them against Penn State's defensive line. That includes the Nittany Lions' two draft prospects at defensive end: Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac.
"If I was watching an offensive lineman in the Big Ten, Penn State was the first game that I popped on because I wanted to watch him against that front because ... they're really talented with Chop and with Adisa Isaac," Jeremiah said. "Those guys play hard, man."
Which prompted a side note about Penn State's coaching staff.
"I don't know off the top of my head the D-line coach there. I know obviously the history there of having great defensive line coaches, but those guys play really, really hard, and they're great to evaluate other players against. That was something that stood out watching those Penn State guys."
High praise for former Penn State defensive end Deion Barnes, who enters his second year as the Nittany Lions defensive line coach.
Theo Johnson is a rising star of Penn State's draft class
The Penn State tight end made a strong impression at the 2024 Senior Bowl and is winning praise from several draft analysts. Jeremiah joined the chorus.
"Theo Johnson ... will be one of the top three or four tight ends [in the draft]," Jeremiah said. "I think he will show well. He's a good player. He had a good week down at the Senior Bowl, big catchradius. There's a play watching him this year where I saw him backpack a defensive back for ten yards, just carried him. He is big, physical, intriguing player there."
Peeking ahead to the 2025 NFL Draft
Penn State's offense landed a huge piece of next season's offensive puzzle when tight end Tyler Warren announced his return. Warren caught a team-high seven touchdown passes last season and could be a focus of coordinator Andy Kotelnicki's new offense. Jeremiah already has taken notice.
"I will say off topic, tight end No. 44 for Penn State who came back to school, he is a really good player," Jeremiah said. "I don't know his name yet."
He will.
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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.
