Just one cycle after producing two early-round picks at EDGE, the Penn State Nittany Lions are loading up again. With his 2025 NFL Draft scouting report, can true junior Dani Dennis-Sutton compete for Round 1 capital? Here’s where he stands heading into the year.
Dani Dennis-Sutton’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’5″
- Weight: 270 pounds
- Position: Edge Rusher
- School: Penn State
- Current Year: Junior
Penn State is a school the NFL knows it can rely on to produce quality EDGE talent. In recent years alone, Micah Parsons, Odafe Oweh, Arnold Ebiketie, and Yetur Gross-Matos have hailed from Happy Valley. In the 2024 NFL Draft, Chop Robinson went in Round 1 to the Miami Dolphins while Adisa Isaac went in Round 3 to the Baltimore Ravens.
The Nittany Lions know what they’re doing when it comes to discovering and developing EDGE talent, and in the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, they have another dynamic duo on deck with Dennis-Sutton and linebacker convert Abdul Carter.
Dennis-Sutton has been biding his time as a former five-star recruit. He was born in Millsboro, Del., and went to high school in Maryland. He joined Penn State in 2022 — racking up three sacks, 3.5 total tackles for loss, and an interception in his first season.
In 2023, Dennis-Sutton’s on-field exposure was sporadic at times, but the talented defender made his presence felt nonetheless with 26 tackles, 3.5 sacks, six total TFLs, a pass breakup, and two forced fumbles.
It doesn’t take long to see Dennis-Sutton’s natural talent on tape. However, because there have been so many mouths to feed along the Penn State line, the production breakout has yet to happen. Will 2024 be the year? To answer that, let’s dive into his report.
Dennis-Sutton’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Has exceptional height, lean mass, and length and is listed 15 pounds heavier in 2024.
- Sports elite first-step burst and can instantly create angle disadvantages for blockers.
- Rapid mover with impressive stride frequencies and overall quickness for his size.
- Boasts an imposing power profile with his burst, density, length, and heavy leg churn.
- Possesses the requisite lateral agility to sidestep down blocks and swiftly traverse gaps.
- Has ankle flexion and hip flexibility to pinch tight angles when breaching the apex.
- Length and prying strength enable him to quickly deconstruct extensions, gain leverage.
- Has shown he can win around the apex with double-swipe and rip combos.
- Can bait linemen into extending with feigned long-arms, then win with strong chop-rips.
- Understands how to use his hands in sequence to bait tackles and nullify punches.
- Has the frame, length, and easy leverage acquisition to defend the strong side at 5-tech.
- Boasts the near-elite pursuit speed to run down scrambling quarterbacks in the flats.
- Has the hand strength and active base to work across-face versus blocks in run defense.
- When applied properly, flashes the raw strength to weather combo blocks and one-gap.
- Able to play from 3-point or 4-point stances or as a stand-up rusher.
Weaknesses
- Had room to improve play strength in 2023; added mass could help with this.
- Redirections on inside-outside counters can be smoother to prevent veers and lurches.
- Doesn’t have elite hip flexibility or agility on direction changes, forcing gather steps.
- Still needs to improve at properly leveraging his base on power rushes and counters.
- Inefficient base load, weight transfers, and hand carriage can make him easier to corral.
- Can divert too far upright when rushing the apex, allowing extensions into his frame.
- At times, can be more patient with rush angles on rip moves and strive for better depth.
- Flashes of pass-rush execution are promising, but overarching consistency can improve.
- Is sometimes over-aggressive attacking gaps in run defense, exposing his torso to chips.
- Sometimes attacks incorrect leverage on the front side of run plays, walling himself in.
- At times, can better align his base to hedge against pullers and limit displacement.
- Can overrun play-action fakes, leaving quarterbacks unencumbered in the pocket.
- Might not be fluid enough to continue dropping into coverage at the NFL level.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Entering the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, Denis-Sutton grades out as a potential top-50 prospect who could eventually command Round 1 capital with further development. He was stuck at the bottom of a deep EDGE rotation in 2023, but now he’ll be primed to produce in 2024.
Now listed at 6’5″, 270 pounds, Dennis-Sutton is a rare athlete who has overwhelming length and carries his mass extremely well. At times, he rivaled his teammate Robinson with his explosiveness off the line in 2023, and his power element simply can’t be ignored.
With his physical profile, Dennis-Sutton can attack with bull rushes and long-arms, and he’s also a relatively sturdy run defender as a 5-tech. There are also bright flashes of bend and pass-rush execution — wherein he sequences hand moves, baits tackles, and stacks counters with quickness.
Naturally, as a player who didn’t command a high snap share in 2023, overarching consistency and production will be areas of emphasis for Dennis-Sutton in 2024. Additionally, while his profile fits well in run defense, he can improve his gap discipline and base load when acquiring power.
All this being said, Dennis-Sutton already brings plenty to like as a prospect. As it stands, he’d be a high-upside Day 2 investment. If he can continue to build on his profile in 2024, he has the tools to be a finesse and power phenom in the mold of Jason Pierre-Paul.