The Penn State Nittany Lions have big aspirations on the college football landscape in 2023. It stands to reason that, whatever they set out to accomplish, they’ll need help from their 2024 NFL Draft group to get it done.
Penn State Nittany Lions Roster and Depth Chart Changes
Ahead of a crucial season in Big Ten play, most of Penn State’s roster core from the 2022 campaign remains intact. Still, they weren’t without losses in the 2023 offseason. Most notably, the Nittany Lions lost Joey Porter Jr., Juice Scruggs, Brenton Strange, Sean Clifford, and Parker Washington in the NFL Draft. But they have the ammunition to hold steady, and maybe even improve, at those positions.
At quarterback, Drew Allar provides a noticeable talent upgrade from Clifford, and his presence alone may raise the ceiling of James Franklin’s squad. Allar also has running back phenoms Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen returning in the backfield, and he’ll be protected by one of the league’s best offensive lines — anchored by a potential top-10 pick.
On defense, Penn State didn’t have too many crucial losses outside of Porter. P.J. Mustipher will be missed on the interior defensive line, but the Nittany Lions have an abundance of depth there. They also have depth at cornerback and have the players present to once again create a formidable secondary.
Penn State Nittany Lions NFL Draft Prospects
Dante Cephas, WR
Last year, Penn State was able to score in the transfer portal by picking up Mitchell Tinsley from the Group of Five. This year, Dante Cephas, formerly of Kent State, could provide an even greater impact. At 6’0″, 187 pounds, Cephas is a lean long-strider with tremendous explosiveness and effectiveness on the vertical plane. He offers sharp ball-tracking ability and instincts in tight spaces but also has the quickness to win on slants and digs.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith, WR
KeAndre Lambert-Smith has been around for both Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington and now steps in as one of Penn State’s next WR prospects. The 6’1″, 188-pound redshirt junior has more often been a complementary weapon for James Franklin’s squad, with 58 catches for 910 yards and seven touchdowns over the past two seasons. Within that role, however, his speed and quickness, sinking ability, and run-after-catch chops stand out.
Malik McClain, WR
Joining Cephas and Lambert-Smith in the receiving corps will be Florida State transfer Malik McClain — a long-limbed 6’4″, 200-pound target who offers some upside as a potential big-play threat. His Seminoles career was relatively nondescript, with McClain peaking at 17 catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns in 2022. But McClain’s size and length could prove useful on the boundary in Allar’s passing attack.
Theo Johnson, TE
Theo Johnson played second fiddle to second-round pick Brenton Strange in 2022, but now, it’s his time to take the reins as the top TE in Penn State’s offense. At 6’6″, 264 pounds, Johnson has NFL size, and he carries it effortlessly with his smooth athleticism in space. He has the versatility to threaten the seam, work from the slot, or be schemed touches off swings, and his natural catching instincts and bend as a RAC threat elevate his impact.
Tyler Warren, TE
Johnson returns as the Nittany Lions’ top producer at the TE position, but he’s also joined by Tyler Warren. Warren was more of a statistical footnote in 2022 with 10 catches for 123 yards, but three of those receptions went for scores. At 6’6″, 259 pounds, Warren has the size to be a serviceable red-zone threat — something he’s already delivered on. With Strange now gone, Warren may get a chance to expand beyond that.
Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT
Olumuyiwa Fashanu is the undisputed headliner of Penn State’s 2024 NFL Draft class and one of just four blue-chip prospects on my preliminary board. Had he declared in the 2023 NFL Draft cycle, Fashanu would’ve been a strong OT1 candidate alongside Paris Johnson Jr., Darnell Wright, and Broderick Jones. At 6’6″, 319 pounds, Fashanu’s recovery athleticism is otherworldly, and he also has a strong anchor, synergetic technique, and tremendous power.
Caedan Wallace, OT
Across from Fashanu is Caedan Wallace, who’s put up 27 starts at right tackle over the past three seasons. Wallace isn’t quite the athlete that Fashanu is, but at 6’5″, 341 pounds, he’s a massive and densely packed blocker who can carry plenty of force at the contact point with his length. And even at his size, he has enough knee bend capacity, lateral freedom, and foot speed to match and stall out rushers in pass protection.
Landon Tengwall, G
Landon Tengwall only got to start five games at left guard in 2022 before an injury cut his campaign short. But at 6’6″, 317 pounds, Tengwall has the size and athleticism necessary to break into the 2024 NFL Draft group. He’s a former top-100 recruit and was lauded for his flexibility, leverage acquisition, and size-relative short-area agility coming out of high school. Another offseason of development could yield big results for Tengwall.
Sal Wormley, G
Penn State’s entire offensive line is worth watching within the context of the 2024 NFL Draft, and that includes right guard Sal Wormley. Wormley might be the lowest-rated of the team’s OL prospects, but even he has some appeal. At 6’3″, 324 pounds, he’s a heavy and stout blocker who also brings exceptional proportional length. His footwork still persists as a major work-in-progress, but if he can consistently flow through contact, he can improve.
Hunter Nourzad, C
Hunter Nourzad started 20 games at right tackle for Cornell. He was recognized as a first-team All-Ivy League blocker before transferring to Penn State in 2022 and playing at both guard and center.
Now, with Juice Scruggs off to the NFL, the belief is that the 6’3″, 315-pound Nourzad will replace him at center. Scruggs went in Round 2, and Nourzad could be a riser as well with his mobility, strength, awareness, and unraveling force at contact.
Coziah Izzard, DT
Coziah Izzard hasn’t been an elite producer for the Nittany Lions defense, but he’s consistently flashed promise across the past two seasons, with four sacks and seven tackles for loss to his name over that span. At 6’3″, 294 pounds, Izzard is naturally well-leveraged and quietly has one of the most explosive first steps in the 2024 NFL Draft interior defensive line class. That raw ability could accelerate a rise in 2023.
Dvon Ellies, DT
With P.J. Mustipher moving on to the NFL, the Nittany Lions will need a new defensive lineman to take the reps at 0-tech and 1-tech. Dvon Ellies might best fit that profile among their remaining options. Ellies may only be 302 pounds, but at 6’1″, he’s an extremely stout and dense defender with a stocky build and immense upper-body strength packed into his frame. He’s a bit stiff laterally and not very flexible, but he can anchor well.
Alonzo Ford Jr., DT
Penn State can provide an optimal stage for lower-conference transfers to make a name for themselves. That’s what Alonzo Ford Jr. will attempt to accomplish after earning All-Sun Belt honorable mention honors for the Old Dominion Monarchs in 2022. At 6’2″, 287 pounds, Ford is a well-leveraged and disruptive lineman with lateral quickness and searing bend who logged 3.5 sacks and five TFLs in his career-best 2022 campaign.
Hakeem Beamon, DT
The Nittany Lions are set to have a very deep interior defensive line rotation, and Hakeem Beamon is another deep sleeper to keep tabs on. He’s built like a disruptor at 6’3″, 284 pounds, but did most of his best work as a run stopper and a pursuit defender in 2022, amassing six TFLs. Beamon still isn’t the most dynamic pass rusher or the most proficient hand-fighter, but he’s well-leveraged and very flexible in his lower half.
Amin Vanover, DL
One more name to watch inside Penn State’s defensive line rotation is Amin Vanover. Vanover had 4.5 TFLs and a sack in 2022, along with three pass deflections. He’s played as heavy as over 270 pounds at 6’4″ and has the length to occlude passing lanes as well as provide alignment versatility. But this year, he’s listed at 266 pounds and could be given more chances to factor into the rotation outside the tackles.
Chop Robinson, EDGE
It’s no surprise that EDGE is a heavily anticipated position each year for the school that produced Micah Parsons. This year, Chop Robinson is the one to watch as a potential early-round pick.
At 6’3″, 250 pounds, Robinson has decent size, although his length and raw traits aren’t at the root of his appeal. Rather, Robinson wins with his hot motor, active hands, prying urgency, and his flexibility when splicing through blocks.
Adisa Isaac, EDGE
Robinson is the higher-rated prospect for most right now, but Adisa Isaac might have more upside if we’re projecting ultimate potential at the next level. Isaac came back from injury and put up four sacks and 11 TFLs in 2022, showing off his proficiency in pursuit while also displaying pass-rush upside. At 6’4″, 254 pounds, he’s a long, athletic rush linebacker who, although he can be smoother between counters, has the tools to overwhelm tackles.
Smith Vilbert, EDGE
Robinson and Isaac will be the primary names in the Nittany Lions’ EDGE rotation in the 2024 NFL Draft cycle but also keep an eye on Smith Vilbert. At 6’6″, 275 pounds, Vilbert has the ideal size, length, and frame density, and he’s been productive before. In 2021, he put up four tackles for loss and three sacks — with all three of those sacks coming in the bowl game against Arkansas. He missed most of 2022 for reasons unknown but is back in 2023.
Curtis Jacobs, LB
Curtis Jacobs could be in the conversation to be one of the top linebacker prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft. At 6’1″, 238 pounds, he has prototypical size for the position, and his multiphase impact has been made clear over the past two seasons. Over that span, he has 113 tackles, 14.5 TFLs, seven sacks, two picks, and three pass deflections. He’s a twitchy, amped-up athlete at the second level who attacks plays with zeal.
Tyler Elsdon, LB
Jacobs leads the Penn State linebacker corps, but Tyler Elsdon is also a name to keep in the vault. The 6’2″, 233-pound Elsdon registered 44 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, a sack, and a pass deflection in a respectable 2022 campaign. Elsdon doesn’t have the same athletic upside that Jacobs possesses, and he can clean up his tackling as well, sometimes failing to bring his feet through contact. But Elsdon is undoubtedly a willing, high-motor defender.
Kalen King, CB
Past Fashanu, Kalen King is Penn State’s most likely Round 1 candidate remaining. Opposite second-round pick Joey Porter Jr., King racked up three interceptions and 15 pass deflections in a dominant 2022 campaign. King isn’t the same size threat Porter was, standing at just 5’11”, 191 pounds. But King is a high-energy, adaptable cover man with great closing burst and ball skills, and he’s also a very willing enforcer in run support.
Johnny Dixon, CB
It’s jarring to think about, but Penn State very well could have four future NFL cornerbacks manning their secondary in 2022. Porter and King are the top names, but Johnny Dixon and Daequan Hardy also have notable potential. Dixon logged two picks and 10 deflections alongside Porter and King, showing off the necessary quickness and proportional length to hold his own in contact situations while also showing the capacity to play the slot.
Daequan Hardy, CB
With King and Dixon on track to man the boundaries, Daequan Hardy might get a chance to shine where he projects best in 2023: the slot. At 5’9″, 181 pounds, Hardy is a bit undersized, but he’s a fleet-footed cover man with comfort in tight spacing, snappy corrective athleticism, and a willingness to attack as an extra blitzer outside. That extra utility willingness, in addition to his coverage ability, is what makes Hardy so intriguing.
Keaton Ellis, S
In the wake of Ji’Ayir Brown’s departure, the Nittany Lions may rely more on Keaton Ellis to provide game-changing plays from the intermediate and deep thirds. At 5’11”, 192 pounds, Ellis doesn’t have the mass Brown had, and Brown was observably a more natural playmaker. But Ellis does have the requisite athleticism to play both in support and man the slot, and his seven pass breakups in 2022 provide a glimpse at his potential.
Zakee Wheatley, S
Alongside Ellis, redshirt sophomore Zakee Wheatley may be in line for an increased role in 2023. He logged valuable reps in 2022, putting up 27 tackles, two interceptions, a pass breakup, and a forced fumble in the process. At 6’2″, 190 pounds, Wheatley has an intriguing physical makeup at safety. He doesn’t quite have elite fluidity in space, but his urgent linear strides help him accelerate quickly when triggering on plays.
Jaylen Reed, S
At 6’0″, 208 pounds, Jaylen Reed provides a unique element among the safeties listed here with his mass and frame density. That trait, in particular, helps him remain an asset in support. In space, he’s not quite as proficient. Reed doesn’t have great change of direction or burst out of transitions. Nevertheless, his ability to hold up at contact and encumber blocks in support can be of great value, and he can work close to the line of scrimmage.
Penn State Nittany Lions Schedule
- Week 1
BYE - Week 2
Sept. 2: vs. West Virginia Mountaineers - Week 3
Sept. 9: vs. Delaware Blue Hens - Week 4
Sept. 16: at Illinois Fighting Illini - Week 5
Sept. 23: vs. Iowa Hawkeyes - Week 6
Sept. 30: at Northwestern Wildcats - Week 7
BYE - Week 8
Oct. 14: vs. Massachusetts Minutemen - Week 9
Oct. 21: at Ohio State Buckeyes - Week 10
Oct. 28: vs. Indiana Hoosiers - Week 11
Nov. 4: at Maryland Terrapins - Week 12
Nov. 11: vs. Michigan Wolverines - Week 13
Nov. 18: vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights - Week 14
Nov. 25: at Michigan State Spartans - Week 15
BYE
