Nicholas Singleton’s draft stock just took a massive hit from an all-too-familiar problem

From just about the moment he arrived in Happy Valley and grabbed hold of the starting job in the backfield as a true freshman, Nicholas Singleton appeared to be the Nittany Lions’ most talented running back since Saquon Barkley, the true heir-apparent in a long lineage of superstar backs.

He finished his career as the program’s all-time leader in touchdowns and fourth-leading rusher, right behind Barkley. Yet, it feels as though he left quite a bit of meat on the bone during his time at Penn State. 

Kaytron Allen, his running-mate and one-time understudy, emerged as the clear RB1 in 2025, finishing his career over the same four-year span as the program’s all-time leading rusher. And the same thing that cracked open the door for Allen’s dominance may have just submarined Singleton’s NFL Draft stock. 

On Friday, Rich Scarcella of the Reading Eagle reported that Singleton broke his foot during Thursday’s practice at the Senior Bowl. Singleton and Allen were both standouts in practice, but a long-term foot injury will likely sideline Singleton for the rest of the pre-draft process and resurface concerns about his durability. 

Nicholas Singleton reportedly suffered a broken foot at Senior Bowl practice on Thursday

Upon hearing the news, Devin Jackson of the Philly Inquirer dug through practice tape from Thursday in Mobile, Alabama, and found what appears to be the play on which Singleton suffered the injury. 

It was a non-contact play, which poses a number of concerns for interested NFL teams about Singleton’s future. Again, that’s assuming this was in fact the play when the injury occurred. 

Regardless, Singleton has dealt with similar injuries before, and even when he hasn’t missed time, they’ve zapped the explosiveness that, at 225 pounds, makes him such a dynamic runner. Singleton played at least 12 games in each of his four seasons at Penn State, but had significant ebbs and flows of production. 

In 2023, nursing injuries for much of the year, his yards per carry dropped from 6.8 as a true freshman to 4.4. It rebounded in 2024 to 6.4, though he had a midseason lull and missed a game against UCLA in early October. 

In a class devoid of a clear RB2 behind Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, both Allen and Singleton’s names have been floated as potential Day 2 picks. That ship may have just sailed for Singleton with this injury robbing him of a chance to impress at the NFL Draft Combine next month.

Singleton is far from injury prone, but this isn't the first time he's dealt with them either. And, a foot injury for a running back is a major red flag on draft day.