Drew Allar wasn’t the No. 1 pick that some expected him to be this time a year ago, but that didn’t prevent Penn State from having a successful 2026 NFL Draft. The Nittany Lions sent eight players into the NFL, including one first-round pick: Olaivavega Ioane, who went 14th overall to the Baltimore Ravens.
Just because eight Nittany Lions were selected doesn’t mean all eight were big winners on their draft day. Not every landing spot is created equal, so we’re breaking down the biggest winners and biggest losers when evaluating the 2026 Penn State draft class.
Winner: Lamar Jackson
Somehow, despite Lamar Jackson playing 13 games last season, the Baltimore Ravens still missed the playoffs. That failure pushed the franchise to a breaking point, which led Baltimore to replace John Harbaugh with Jesse Minter.
One of the biggest flaws on last year’s team was the interior offensive line, and while losing Tyler Linderbaum to the Raiders won’t help, selecting Olaivavega Ioane at No. 14 overall will. Ioane can immediately slot into the starting left guard spot and, from Day 1, will be one of the best interior pass protectors in the league. With Rueben Bain Jr. falling, the Ravens could have pivoted; Lamar Jackson should be glad they didn’t.
Loser: Will Howard
It appears that the Steelers would prefer to run it back with Aaron Rodgers, this time coached by Mike McCarthy. However, Rodgers is yet to sign, so much of Pittsburgh has sold itself on last year’s sixth-round pick, Will Howard, out of Ohio State. Clearly, McCarthy and Omar Khan weren’t so sold, or they wouldn’t have selected Drew Allar with the 76th overall pick, the first of their three third-round picks.
That investment in Allar clearly signals that the franchise believes in him, if not as a long-term starter, at least as a worthwhile project with more upside than Howard provides.
Winner: Drew Allar
In some ways, Allar went to the worst possible spot. Pitt fans hate him, West Virginia fans hate him, Ohio State fans hate him, and Penn State fans are, at best, split. However, from a football perspective, there isn’t a better destination for Allar than the one he landed in.
Mike McCarthy loves big-bodied pocket passers and has an offense that aligns with Allar’s propensity to protect the football and find success underneath. Then there is the possibility that Rodgers doesn’t return to Pittsburgh and opts for retirement instead. In that case, Allar would need to beat out Howard and Mason Rudolph, which, as far as NFL QB battles go, should be a walk in the park.
Loser: Zakee Wheatley
At his ceiling, Wheatley was viewed as a potential Day 2 pick, and instead the ball-hawking free safety slid into the fifth round, where he was selected by the Carolina Panthers with the 151st pick. Carolina is a team ostensibly ready to compete, and while Nick Scott and Tre’von Moehrig aren’t the best safety tandem in the NFL, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero will likely give the nod to his veterans.
Wheatley can still put together a lengthy and impactful NFL career, but with a fifth-round investment rather than a third, he’ll be seen as more expendable early on.
Winner: Lawn Boyz
Speaking of Day 3 selections, both of Penn State’s veteran running backs, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, went off the board on Day 3. Once seen as a rival to Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price as the best running back duo in the country, they came off the board a combined 317 picks later than Notre Dame’s two first-rounders.
Still, with Singleton heading to Tennessee in the fifth round and Allen going to Washington as a sixth-rounder, both found their way to teams with carries up for grabs. Tennessee has Tony Pollard, and not much else, so if he can stay healthy, Singleton can fashion himself as a super-charged, short-yardage battering ram while Allen can challenge Rachaad White, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, and Jerome Ford to take pressure off Jayden Daniels as a late-game chain-mover.
Loser: Tyler Guyton
The 29th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Tyler Guyton, is entering a make-or-break Year 3 with the Cowboys at left tackle. While many expected Dallas to address the interior of the offensive line, Jerry Jones opted for Drew Shelton, a true offensive tackle at No. 112 overall in the fourth round.
Shelton won’t compete for the starting job immediately, but with Tyler Smith and Tyler Booker locking down the guard spots, Shelton could be the long-term plan at left tackle if Guyton falters. Shelton’s presence adds pressure that Guyton likely didn’t expect to have.
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