Six former Penn State Nittany Lions have been invited to participate in the annual Reese’s Senior Bowl roster and they are wide receiver Jahan Dotson, edge rushers Arnold Ebiketie, and Jesse Luketa cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields, safety Jaquan Brisker and punter Jordan Stout.
Dotson, who is Penn State’s highest-rated prospect overall is a speedy receiver that is polished at running routes and has good hands, dropping two passes all season last season. Dotson is capable of separating from defenders and is good against press coverage He doesn’t have ideal size (5-foot-10 and 180 lbs.) but he can play the X, Y, or the slot in a spread offense or a vertical passing attack.
Ebiketie is a fast riser and will have a chance to rise even more with a strong Senior Bowl. Ebiketie is 6-foot-3, 255 pounds who has shown explosiveness of the ball. He has good lateral quickness which is good for playing speed to power in a pass rush. Ebiketie has a 34-inch reach, so he is capable of enveloping ball carriers and quarterbacks alike.
Ebiketie’s partner in crime Luketa has similar traits however, he can play inside linebacker similar to former Penn State and current Dallas Cowboy linebacker Micah Parsons. Luketa has an exceptional change of direction and a burst off the ball that frustrates blockers consistently. His number one skill is the versatility to cover backs, tight ends, and slot receivers occasionally.
Castro Fields has good size at the cornerback position but what scout love is his 35-inch arms. That suits him well for press coverage and making plays at the ball. Castro-Fields proves that he has the deep speed to keep up with receivers i.e., Chris Olave of Ohio State. I would not be surprised if he ran in the 4.4 range during the draft process.
Brisker is a prospect that is capable of being a Swiss Army knife type of free safety at the next level. He is capable of blitzing when needed, playing nickel corner when needed, and covering tight ends because of his size (6-foot-1, 200 lbs.). Brisker is a freak athlete with a 35’5” triple jump and a 10’7” standing broad jump. If it were not for Norte Dame’s Kyle Hamilton, he would be the top safety available but with a strong Senior Bowl, he could move into the first round of April’s draft.
Stout was a Ray Guy award finalist who owns the school record for career punting average (44.8) and punting average in a season (46.5) in 2021. He has a strong enough leg to handle kickoff duties if needed at the NFL level.
The Senior Bowl will be played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama on February 5th, 2022, and will be aired on the NFL Network.