At NFL Combine, two Penn State 'freaks' set to show off

Arrivals are taking place, interviews are being conducted, and the on-field workouts are set to begin Thursday. Officially, the 2022 NFL Combine is under way in Indianapolis.

To mark the occasion, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman has updated his annual college football preseason showcase of top “freaks” in the game. Many of them are now set to participate in the NFL Combine this week.

And Penn State, despite the recent retirement of strength coach Dwight Galt, has two prominent performers on the list.

Before touching on which former Nittany Lions are on the list, and where they landed, it’s worth taking a look back at Feldman’s original expanded offering in August 2021. 

Broadening his collection to 101 players, up from 50 in recent years and 25 in his original lists, Feldman’s first Penn State selection went to linebacker Brandon Smith at No. 32. Deeper down the list, super senior safety Jaquan Brisker also made his second appearance on the freaks list following an All-Big Ten third-team selection during the COVID-19-amended 2020 season.

With their inclusions, Smith and Brisker joined 2020 selections Odafe Oweh (No. 4), Micah Parsons (No. 13), Journey Brown (No. 45), and Brisker (No. 46), 2019 picks Oweh (No. 6) and Parsons (No. 7), two spots for Saquon Barkley in 2016 and 2017, and Anthony Zettel’s first appearance for the Nittany Lions ahead of the 2015 season. 

NFL Combine list

Doubling back to update his freaks list for this year’s NFL Combine, of which there are 324 invited prospects vying for a shot at the next level, Feldman has again included mention for two Penn State players.

While they’re consistent with his first iteration, both Smith and Brisker making an updated list that tops out at 40, the two have swapped spots.

Among the biggest movers of the entire list, Brisker checks in on the updated list at No. 25.

Jaquan Brisker NFL Combine evaluation

“A star in a very talented secondary, Brisker made second-team All-American honors in 2021 after making 64 tackles, 5.5 TFLs and two INTs,” Feldman writes. “At 6-foot-1, 203 pounds, he has elite wheels and power. At Penn State, he timed a very fast 4.07 shuttle time and benched 360 pounds.”

Reflecting on our preseason interview with Galt in which we identified a Penn State-specific list of “freaks,” Feldman’s high expectations for Brisker’s NFL Combine performance are warranted.

Considered by Galt to be the No. 1 overall athlete on Penn State’s 2021 team, Brisker’s numbers were undeniably impressive.

The former Lackawanna College standout boasted a 38.5-inch vertical, a 10-7 broad jump, a 3.98 in the shuttle, and weight numbers that included a 325-pound clean, a 400-pound bench, and a 500-pound squat. Using Penn State’s system for calculating overall strength, Brisker’s mark of 700 on the strength index put him in a rare club that includes only a couple of Nittany Lions every year.

Brandon Smith NFL Combine evaluation

The second Nittany Lion to be included on the list, Smith remained front-and-center for his overall athleticism.

Per Feldman:

“The Nittany Lions have had more than their share of Freaks — and while the 6-foot-3, 240-pound former five-star recruit isn’t Micah Parsons as a player (who is?), he’s still very, very explosive. He’s expected to run the 40 in the 4.4s. He has broad jumped in 10-5 and vertical jumped 36 inches. He also timed 4.25 in the shuttle last offseason.”

No coincidence, of course, Smith was also among Galt’s hand-picked list of Penn State freaks. 

According to Galt, the linebacker’s weight numbers included a 350-pound clean, a 360-pound bench press, and a 525-pound squat. Combined, it left him with a strength index of 663. 

“You’re talking now about national combine, elite stuff,” Galt said in August. “He’s a baby Micah Parsons from this perspective.”

Smith will get an opportunity to demonstrate as much Friday and Saturday.

And at Penn State, according to Galt, Smith’s numbers were even better than Feldman is expecting to see this week. Smith’s best vertical came in at 36.5 inches, with an 11-0 broad jump, a 4.14 shuttle, and a 4.43 40.

Using an elite NFL Combine performer in current Atlanta Falcon and former Clemson standout Vic Beasley, if Smith could duplicate his prior performances in testing this week, he’d likely find a place among the top-five standouts by position as highlighted by the NFL.

“These are all numbers that will be top-level combine numbers,” Galt said. “He’s the real deal.”

Penn State’s other NFL Combine freak

Penn State has eight participants set for this week’s NFL Combine. Led by Brisker and Smith, wideout Jahan Dotson and offensive lineman Rasheed Walker round out the offense. Defensive ends Arnold Ebiketie and Jesse Luketa, plus corner Tariq Castro-Fields comprise the defense. And punter Jordan Stout will represent Penn State’s special teams.

Walker, another of Galt’s preseason picks, will test Thursday and work on field Friday. And he could very well turn heads in the process with his athleticism.

Walker was considered Galt’s fourth-highest pick ahead of the 2021 season at Penn State. Citing his rapid progress from start-to-finish as a Nittany Lion, Galt was highlighted the athleticism at hand.

Going from a 556 on the strength index to a 661, Walker’s ascent marked a somewhat rare increase of more than 100 points. 

At his best, Walker clocked a 5.01 40, a 4.66 shuttle, with a 28.0-inch vertical and an 8-07 broad jump. His strength numbers included a 350-pound clean, a 400-pound bench press, and a 580-pound squat.