Final Penn State football thoughts from the NFL Combine: Injuries pop up, a Jahan Dotson comparison, more

Eight former Penn State football players have completed another step on their path to the pros.

The NFL Combine wrapped up over the weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. It might be the last year the event, which has long been held there, will take place in at the home of the Colts. Reports say that other cities are in play. Those will be voted on in the future.

That will be something another group of Penn State players possibly experience. The current draft class was not fully represented at the Combine. Others will work out at Pro Day on March 24 with hopes of impressing scouts enough to eventually find a home at the next level.

With the event now complete, here’s one final look back at what took place.

Injuries pop up for Penn State players

Since James Franklin arrived at Penn State in 2014, strong Combine performances from his former players have been an annual tradition.

What hasn’t been, however, is injuries before or during the event.

That was the case this year, unfortunately. Jaquan Brisker hurt his back while putting up 22 bench press reps, according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport. The All-American safety did clock a 4.49-second 40-yard dash, but that was the end of his on-field work due to the injury. He’s expected to do more at Pro Day.

Defensive end Jesse Luketa also saw his experience cut short. The All-Big Ten selection suffered an injury during the 40-yard dash that ended his day on the turf before it even really began. It’s unclear if he will be able to work out for scouts at Pro Day.

Finally, Rasheed Walker didn’t do any on-field drills in Indy. The offensive lineman who left Penn State after the 2021 season did not play in the bowl game loss to Arkansas but did travel to Tampa. He was seen on crutches before the game. He was not asked to comment about his status during interviews. But, it’s more likely than not that whatever caused him to miss his final game at Penn State also kept him from testing at the Combine.

An interesting comparison for Jahan Dotson

Former Penn State receiver Jahan Dotson did not break the 4.3-second mark in the 40-yard dash. Some thought he would, but the Lion clocked a 4.43-second run. It was by no means bad, but it was only 12th among an extremely fast group of receivers.

Dotson is going to be a fringe first-round selection. Entering the Combine, some thought he’d go inside the first 32 picks. It now feels like he’s guaranteed to be a top-50 player but could slide to Day 2.

At any rate, the NFL Next Gen Stats team made an interesting observation once all the numbers were in. They said that Dotson’s size and time are quite comparable to Seattle Seahawk Tyler Lockett. He was a Round 3 selection. Dotson figures to go sooner, of course, but the similarities are notable. You can see them below.

Penn State's Jahan Dotson (@MoveTheSticks' #4 WR) has a similar pre-draft profile to Tyler Lockett when it comes to their size, speed, explosiveness, and overall draft score.

🔹 Dotson: 4.43 @ 178 lbs (80 Prod Score)
🔹 Lockett: 4.40 @ 182 lbs (86 Prod Score)#NextGenScores pic.twitter.com/26hplEQw2z

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 4, 2022

Penn State odds and ends from the Combine

–Some thought Walker should have returned for another season at Penn State. It’s moot now, as he’s already on his path to the pros. But, not working out certainly didn’t help his stock any. One media outlet sees him as a possible third-round pick, but it feels more likely than not that the tackle ends up going on Day 3.

–Corner Tariq Castro-Fields missed a fair number of games during his Penn State career, especially in 2020. But, his talent has never been in question. Next Gen metrics had him as the second-most athletic corner at the Combine, which is sure to turn scouts’ eyes.

–Interestingly enough, Brisker, despite no on-field work after the 40, was second in the NextGenScores for safety production at the combine behind only Notre Dame star Kyle Hamilton.

–All of the Nittany Lions will head to various parts of the country to continue training for Pro Day.