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What We Learned From Penn State's Week at the NFL Scouting Combine

Nine Nittany Lions attended the combine, and two delivered some of the event's top performances.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen catches a pass during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen catches a pass during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Penn State sent nine players to the NFL Scouting Combine, and their performances generated a variety of reactions. The defensive linemen shined in testing, the running backs did most of their work off the field and the quarterback sought to prove that he's still a top-end NFL prospect.

So what did we learn about the Nittany Lions at the NFL Combine? Here's a look. Plenty more to come when Penn State hosts its annual Pro Day in mid-March.

Penn State's combine winners

Defensive linemen Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant predictably showed out at the combine. In fact, according to the NFL's Next Gen Stats, Dennis-Sutton and Durant compiled two of the top three performances among defensive linemen in Indianapolis.

Durant recorded the highest athleticism score (89) among linemen, while Dennis-Sutton tied for third (85). Durant ran the fastest 40-yard dash time (4.75 seconds) of any tackle at the combine and tied for third in the vertical jump (33.5). According to NFL data, Durant tied Khalil Davis for the fourth-fastest 40 time ever at the combine among tackles.

Dennis-Sutton tested phenomenally at Lucas Oil Stadium, running the fifth-fasted 40 time at his position (4.63 seconds), delivering the longest broad jump (10-11) and finishing fourth in the vertical (39-5). According to the Relative Athletic Score site, Dennis-Sutton's testing performance was among the top 20 for a defensive end at the combine since 1987.

Nicholas Singleton missed a window

Running back Nicholas Singleton sustained a broken foot at the Senior Bowl in late January that required surgery from which he's still recovering. Singleton did not work out at the combine and will not run at Penn State's Pro Day. He told Pennlive's Johnny McGonigal that he hopes to conduct some private workouts for teams before the draft.

In the meantime, Singleton spent his time at the combine taking team interviews. He wants teams to "really get to know me as a player," Singleton said in an interview with NBC Sports.

As long as Singleton projects to be healthy for July training camps, he could be a value pick for an NFL team. Penn State's career leader in all-purpose yards and rushing touchdowns still doesn't have a lot of tread. He never went over 172 carries in a season and ran the ball just 123 times last year. Singleton has a lot of career ahead of him.

Choosing not to test

Several Nittany Lions performed on-field drills but did not run at the combine. Among them was running back Kaytron Allen, who looked smooth and quick during drills.

Allen is coming off a superb season during which he rushed for 1,303 yards in 12 games, the best year for a Penn State back since Saquon Barkley (1,496) in 2016. Further, Allen had six runs of 40+ yards last season, double the number he produced in his first three seasons combined. Increasing his top-end speed could boost Allen into the top 5 among backs in the draft.

Offensive lineman Vega Ioane, Penn State's only first-round prospect, also chose not to run in Indianapolis but did showcase his footwork and technique. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah calls Ioane the best offensive line prospect in the draft and ranks him as the No. 11 overall prospect.

Safety Zakee Wheatley also chose not to run but did participate in drills. He also spoke with reporters about what he learned from Penn State's 2025 season.

Grading Drew Allar's performance

CBS Sports gave quarterback Drew Allar a "B" for his throwing session Saturday, which improved the more he threw. That makes sense, since Allar had not thrown in public since his October season-ending injury.

"At times he looked like he was fighting his lower body due to inconsistent footwork, but he grew more comfortable as drills progressed and performed his best during the second half of the throwing session," CBS' Josh Edwards wrote. "The Ohio native was particularly effective go balls, comebacks and fade routes."

Allar likely will throw again at Penn State's Pro Day but, unless something changes, won't run at the mid-March event.

Two Nittany Lions with more to prove

Tight end Khalil Dinkins arrived in Indianapolis hoping to prove that he can do more than block.

"It's kind of a strength and not a weakness," Dinkins said at the combine about his receiving skills, "but just something that I wasn't able to show everything I could do at Penn State. So being able
to show that and do that [at the combine]."

Dinkins produced a unique set of tests. His 40 time (4.72) was among the three slowest, and his vertical jump (32-5) ranked last. But Dinkins also shined in the 3-cone (second at 7.28 seconds) and the 20-yard shuttle (second at 4.33) and tied for third in the bench press (25 reps).

Dinkins didn't wow with his general athleticism (his RAS of 8.27 ranked 15th among tight ends) but certainly showed some targeted skills.

Offensive tackle Drew Shelton ran a mid-level 40 time (5.16), though that's an entirely arbitrary grading metric for linemen. Shelton measured at 6-5, 313 pounds and recorded an RAS of 8.68, including strong scores for explosion.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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