After finally leading his team to the College Football Playoff in 2024, James Franklin did an excellent job keeping many of his best players out of the 2025 NFL Draft. Still, despite retaining draft-eligible stars like Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, and Kaytron Allen, the Nittany Lions will still dominate much of the draft discussions this spring.
Superstar edge rusher and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Abdul Carter is a candidate for the top overall pick and versatile senior tight end Tyler Warren is a lock for the first round after a historic 2024 season that saw him finish seventh in Heisman Trophy voting. While they might be the only two first-rounders, Carter and Warren aren’t the only two former Penn State football players who received NFL Draft Combine invites.
Draft stock can fluctuate greatly from performances in Indianapolis, and without any Nittany Lions participating in this year’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama the Combine will be even more important to these five players.
Here is the full list of former Nittany Lions who received invites to the 2025 NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis from Thursday, February 27 to Sunday, March 2.
- Abdul Carter, DE, junior
- Tyler Warren, TE, redshirt senior
- Kobe King, LB, redshirt junior
- Jaylen Reed, S, senior
- Kevin Winston Jr. S, junior
Veteran cornerback Jalen Kimber, who transferred to Penn State last offseason after spending two seasons at Florida and beginning his career at Georgia, participated in the East/West Shrine Bowl but did not get the invite to the Combine.
Here are the six Nittany Lions who declared for the 2025 NFL Draft who will not be attending the Combine.
- Jalen Kimber, CB, redshirt senior
- Julian Fleming, WR, senior
- Sal Wormley, OL, redshirt senior
- Coziah Izzard, DL, senior
- Amin Vanover, DE, senior
- Dvon J-Thomas, DL, redshirt senior