NFL Draft 2021: Will two of Penn State Football’s top prospects opt out?

Penn State Football TE Pat Freiermuth and LB Jayson Oweh are possible first-round picks in 2021 NFL Draft, will they opt out after Nittany Lions’ 0-3 start?

Penn State Football is off to its worse start in nearly a decade, liming into Saturday’s matchup with the Nebraska Cornhuskers winless and unranked for the first time since October, 2016, so what does that mean for the Nittany Lions’ top NFL Draft prospects?

Nittany Lions tight end Pat Freiermuth and linebacker Jayson Oweh are both projected as possible first-round picks in next April’s 2021 NFL Draft. However, despite Penn State’s early season struggles, neither plan on packing their bags, leaving Happy Valley, and opting out of the rest of this season.

"“I love this University,” Freiermuth said Tuesday. “I love this program. I love the coaches and the players in it. I’m with them in good times and bad. I haven’t even thought to opt out.”"

Through the season’s first three games, Freiermuth has caught 16 passes for 197 yards and one touchdown, while averaging 12.3 yards per reception. There had been some preseason speculation that Freiermuth would opt out prior to the season beginning, following in All-America linebacker Micah Parson’s decision to forego this season to prepare for the NFL Draft.

Oweh, meanwhile expressed similar sentiments this week.

"“We’re a team first,” Oweh said Wednesday. “With Pat’s comments, he love sit here, I love it here; we want to compete. We don’t want to go out on a losing end. That’s quitting, and we’re not going to quit on our buddies.”"

One of the Big Ten’s most dominant defenders, Oweh has 18 total tackles this season.

No one would blame either Freiermuth or Oweh for opting out of the Nittany Lions’ final five games of the season to preserve their health and focus on preparing for the draft. However, their commitment to the program and finishing out this season is a testament to the culture head coach James Franklin has cultivated at Penn State, as well as their selflessness as players.