The NFL released a list of 324 players invited to April’s Draft Combine Wednesday morning.
Eight of them are Penn State Nittany Lions.
The players are; Wide receiver Jahan Dotson, safety Jaquan Brisker, defensive end Arnold Ebiketie, inside linebacker Brandon Smith, outside linebacker/defensive end Jesse Luketa, cornerback Triq Castro-Fields, offensive lineman Rasheed Walker punter Jordan Stout.
Of those eight, Dotson and Brisker seem to be the most likely to be drafted in the first round. Dotson is the 28th ranked player in Todd McShay’s latest draft rankings, and Brisker was projected to go to the Philadelphia Eagles with the 16th pick yesterday by NFL.Com’s Lance Zierlein.
Ebiketie is a dark horse. The former Temple Owl became one of the Big Ten’s top edge rushers in his lone season at Penn State, and some see him as a guy who could sneak into the first round.
Stout was another gem Penn State landed from the transfer portal. The former Virginia Tech Hokie who came to Penn State in 2019 is McShay’s top-ranked punter. Stout’s 75-yard boom in last Saturday’s Reese’s Senior Bowl probably didn’t hurt his cause.
Luketa and Castro-Fields also played in the Senior Bowl, with Luketa making an impression with his performance during the game and throughout the week. Smith didn’t participate in all-star festivities, as he declared for the draft after his junior season.
The 2022 NFL Combine is scheduled for Sunday, Tuesday, March 1 through Monday, March 7.
