Penn State football lands eight invitations to upcoming NFL Combine
Penn State will be well-represented at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine, set for March 1-7 in Indianapolis.
The annual showcase event, this year bringing a total of 324 invited prospects, will include eight former Nittany Lions. The NFL announced its full list of invitations Wednesday morning.
All vying to demonstrate their potential at the next level, the invited participants are as follows:
Safety Jaquan Brisker, corner Tariq Castro-Fields, receiver Jahan Dotson, defensive ends Arnold Ebiketie and Jesse Luketa, linebacker Brandon Smith, punter Jordan Stout, and offensive tackle Rasheed Walker.
With eight invited former Nittany Lions to the NFL Combine, Penn State’s representation will tie Michigan (eight) for most in the Big Ten, outnumbering Ohio State’s invitations (seven) by one.
At the top of the national list, Georgia’s 14 invitations leads the way with Alabama and Oklahoma trailing closely behind at 11 apiece.
Penn State’s Combine invitations
Penn State’s NFL Draft hopefuls include all three phases of the game, with two on offense, four defensive players, and one on special teams.
Most notably, Luketa is coming off an outstanding Senior Bowl performance.He finished with three tackles, two of which were sacks. Listed as a defensive end for the Combine, Luketa’s path toward the NFL has taken shape closer to the football.
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“I’m an aggressive defender being that much closer to the ball,” Luketa said during the year. “Quickly, I diagnose things faster with my eyes and I just let my body take over. That move not only benefited the defense, but myself included. So, you know, I feel this has paid off.”
On top of Luketa’s outstanding performance, fellow Senior Bowl participant Jordan Stout will also get an opportunity to show his stuff at the Combine. Stout finished with four punts for 198 yards, two landing inside the 20-yard line and three going for 50-or-more yards.
Despite participating in the week of practices leading into the Senior Bowl, neither Castro-Fields nor Ebiketie participated in the Saturday game.
Other Combine invitees
The latest ESPN mock drafts have three former Nittany Lions likely to land in the first two rounds of this year’s NFL Draft.
Leading the way, Dotson is the only Penn State product projected as a first-rounder in both mocks.
“(Jordan) Reid has him going 32nd overall to the Detroit Lions. There, Dotson would almost certainly get plenty of opportunities to contribute early on. Alongside Amon-Ra St. Brown, Dotson would give Detroit a pair of exciting young wideouts as it continues to rebuild.”
Meanwhile, Ebiketie’s stock continues to climb in some circles.
According to PFF’s Seth Galina’s latest mock, Ebiketie could be the “steal of the draft” as the No. 22 overall pick to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Additionally, Brisker is still being projected in the first two days of the Draft, selected by both of the latest mocks as a second-round pick.
