After an 11-2 season in 2022 under James Franklin, who are the top Penn State prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft? These Penn State scouting reports break down the team’s most likely-to-be-drafted players, including potential first-rounder Joey Porter Jr.
Penn State 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
Brenton Strange, TE
Strengths: Athletic move tight end prospect with reliable hands. Fires off the snap, stays square, and shows ability as a position blocker. Quickly releases into pass routes, immediately gets to top speed, and moves well around the field.
Fast enough to stretch the field. Stays low exiting routes, extends his hands, and makes the reception away from his frame. Shows good awareness as both a pass catcher and blocker. Makes a lot of athletic receptions and is effective running after the catch.
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Weaknesses: Struggles finishing blocks and must improve his playing strength. Gets very choppy-footed in and out of breaks. Production the past two seasons can best be described as average.
Overall: Strange caught my eye in 2021, then improved his game last season. He looks more like an oversized possession receiver than a tight end and catches the ball well. Strange comes with an upside and must improve his playing strength as well as his route running, but he offers possibilities as a second TE who can develop into a No. 1 in time.
Want more information on Strange? Here’s our expanded scouting report and draft profile: Brenton Strange, TE, Penn State | NFL Draft Scouting Report
Hunter Nourzad, G
Strengths: Former Cornell offensive tackle who did a good job at guard for Penn State last season. Explosive, blocks with leverage, and shows great awareness. Keeps his head on a swivel, works well with linemates, and stays with responsibilities. Fires into blocks, displays strength, and turns defenders from the action. Stays square and seals opponents from the action. Plays with a nasty attitude and always looks for someone to hit.
Weaknesses: Lacks footwork, struggles sliding in space, and is better in a small area. Falls off blocks rather than finishing off opponents and gets consistently knocked off balance in pass protection.
Overall: Nourzad has a next-level build, yet he’s an average athlete with limited upside. He gets the most from his ability and offers positional versatility, which will give him an upper hand in grabbing a spot on a practice squad.
Ji’Ayir Brown, S
Strengths: Instinctive safety with a well-rounded game. Quickly diagnoses plays, takes proper angles to the action, and closes with a burst of speed. Immediately picks up coverage assignments in the middle of the field, tracks the pass in the air, and drives to the ball out of his plant. Fluid pedaling in reverse, smooth flipping his hips, and effectively covers receivers on crossing patterns. Hard hitter who fires upfield to defend the run and wraps up tackling.
Weaknesses: Plays faster than his 40 time, yet still has speed deficiencies. Not a real quick-twitch defender.
Overall: Brown comes off two super-productive seasons at Penn State, where he was effective defending the run as well as covering the pass. He’s an underrated prospect at his position, though I believe he’d be better off in a zone system rather than being a traditional free safety. Workouts and interviews are critical for Brown leading up to April and will ultimately determine his draft position.
Want more information on Brown? Here’s our expanded scouting report and draft profile: Ji’Ayir Brown, S, Penn State | NFL Draft Scouting Report
Joey Porter Jr., CB
Strengths: Athletic corner with nice size who really watched his game take off the past three seasons. Explosive, aggressive, and very sudden. Engages receivers at the line, quickly flips his hips in transition, and mixes it up with opponents throughout the route. Tracks the pass in the air, has an exceptional move to the ball, and explodes to the play with a great closing burst.
Sticks to receivers anywhere on the field, effectively covers crossing patterns, and physically beats down opponents to defend throws. Shows good route recognition in zone. Fires upfield, works to get off blocks, and makes the tackle against the run. Rarely challenged by opponents.
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Weaknesses: Possesses poor hands for the interception and has just one pick in four years. Shows stiffness in his game and struggles with small or quick receivers. Gets lazy with his fundamentals on occasion.
Overall: Porter possesses the size as well as the ball skills to be a starting cornerback in the NFL and comes with a tremendous amount of upside. He must polish the details of his game, but if Porter is focused on improving, he offers big-time possibilities.
Want more information on Porter? Here’s our expanded scouting report and draft profile: Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State | NFL Draft Scouting Report
Juice Scruggs, C
Strengths: Underrated center prospect who would be best in a zone-blocking system. Bends his knees, blocks with leverage, and quickly gets his hands up. Explosive, fires off the snap, and turns defenders from the line.
Stays square, keeps his feet moving, and gets a pad on defenders. Keeps his head on a swivel, makes the line calls, and effectively quarterbacks the offensive line. Outstanding position blocker. Gets his hands into defenders and rides them from their angles of attack. Effective with the shotgun snap.
Weaknesses: Tends to fall off blocks rather than finish off defenders. Not a dominant drive-blocking lineman.
Overall: Scruggs is a fundamentally sound lineman who is experienced at both guard and center. He’s a hard-working and tough player with an underrated game. Scruggs will be a Day 3 selection, but he has enough ability to start on Sundays.
Want more information on Scruggs? Here’s our expanded scouting report and draft profile: Juice Scruggs, G, Penn State | NFL Draft Scouting Report
Mitchell Tinsley, WR
Strengths: Reliable and consistent wide receiver who started his college career at Western Kentucky. Quickly releases off the line of scrimmage, works his hands to separate from defenders, and comes back to the ball to make himself an available target. Tracks the pass in the air, uses his frame to shield away defenders, or gets vertical and high-points the ball over opponents.
Displays eye/hand coordination, makes the difficult reception in contorted positions, and extends his hands to snatch the ball out of the air. Displays soft as well as strong hands. Plays with excellent body control. Keeps the play in bounds to pick up yards after the catch. Gives effort blocking downfield.
Weaknesses: Lacks deep speed, a second gear, and burst. Struggles separating through routes.
Overall: Tinsley is a reliable WR who showed a lot of development in his game the past three seasons and gets the most from his ability. He’s an underrated prospect who could slip into the late rounds with good predraft workouts or surprise in camp, then latch on as a fifth receiver.
Want more information on Tinsley? Here’s our expanded scouting report and draft profile: Mitchell Tinsley, WR, Penn State | NFL Draft Scouting Report
Parker Washington, WR
Strengths: Quick, creative receiver who can also double as a return specialist. Sharp route runner who fires off the snap and separates from defenders out of breaks. Displays good route discipline, comes back to the ball to make himself an available target, and consistently extends to make the catch away from his frame.
Possesses eye/hand coordination, snatches the ball out of the air, and lays out or extends for the difficult catch. Displays terrific focus as well as concentration. Works running after the catch and bounces off tackles to pick up yardage. Displays strong hands.
Weaknesses: Plays to one speed and doesn’t show a burst. Struggles in battles. May be tapped out physically.
Overall: Washington is a shorter slot receiver type with a consistent game and versatility. He separates from defenders through routes, catches the ball well, and shows ability running after the catch. He offers potential as a fifth receiver who will also see double-duty returning punts.
Want more information on Washington? Here’s our expanded scouting report and draft profile: Parker Washington, WR, Penn State | NFL Draft Scouting Report
PJ Mustipher, DT
Strengths: Quick, athletic defensive tackle who fires off the snap with an explosive first step, plays with great pad level, and splits double-team blocks to get behind the line of scrimmage. Works his hands throughout the action, shows agility for a bigger lineman, and keeps his feet moving. Instinctive and immediately locates the ball handler. Gives a lot of effort.
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Weaknesses: Inconsistent. Doesn’t play strong football for a 315-pound DT and doesn’t show great bull-rush strength. Really doesn’t make a lot of plays on the ball despite his athleticism.
Overall: Mustipher is a player I’ve watched the past four seasons, and he was a solid defensive lineman on the college level. He never really took his game to the next level as I thought possible and always left me thinking he was capable of more. Mustipher possesses the size, athleticism, and speed to play on Sundays, but he must elevate his game and really do more than occupy gaps.
Want more information on Mustipher? Here’s our expanded scouting report and draft profile: PJ Mustipher, DT, Penn State | NFL Draft Scouting Report
Sean Clifford, QB
Strengths: Record-setting Penn State quarterback who displays outstanding pocket presence, senses the rush, and remains poised. Fearless, steps up to avoid defenders, and plays tough, smart football. Buys time for receivers, knows where his targets are, and spreads the ball around. Does an adequate job picking up yardage with his legs. Doesn’t make poor decisions.
Weaknesses: All over the place with throws. Doesn’t correctly read the defense on a consistent basis. Occasionally, releases the ball off his back foot. Really cannot drive deep passes.
Overall: Clifford was a terrific QB four years running at Penn State and is the school’s all-time leader in completion percentage, passing yardage, and passing touchdowns. Despite this, he lacks the arm strength and accuracy to be anything other than a third QB on Sundays.
Want more information on Clifford? Here’s our expanded scouting report and draft profile: Sean Clifford, QB, Penn State | NFL Draft Scouting Report