There are plenty of Penn State players heading to the 2025 NFL Draft, 10 to be exact, but none of them will be in Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl on February 1.
Part of the Nittany Lion’s exclusion from the Senior Bowl has to do with James Franklin’s phenomenal roster retention this offseason, bringing back veterans like safety Zakee Wheatley and center Nick Dawkins for their final season of eligibility, along with a flurry of draft-eligible junior but it’s more about the status and the quality of NFL draft prospect that James Franklin’s program has produced this offseason.
Both defensive end Abdul Carter, who departed the program after his junior season, and redshirt senior tight end Tyler Warren are surefire first-round picks with nothing to prove at a Senior Bowl-type event. Beyond Carter and Warren, the next players most likely off draft boards are junior safety Kevin Winston Jr. who is still recovering from a knee injury he suffered before Week 2 of the regular season, and redshirt junior linebacker Kobe King. Then, seniors like offensive guard Sal Wormley, defensive backs Jalen Kimber and Jaylen Reed, defensive linemen Coziah Izzard and Dvon J-Thomas, and wide receiver Julian Fleming will almost certainly be Day 3 selections if they’re drafted at all which likely left them off the Senior Bowl’s radar.
Just because no Penn State player is attending the Senior Bowl, doesn’t mean that none were invited, but it is still a surprise. The length of the season with the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff could also play a role. Penn State’s season just ended on January 9, so it’s a quick turnaround to start draft prep after playing 16 games starting in late August.
However, Jalen Kimber, who spent his final year of eligibility at Penn State after stints at Georgia and Florida is heading to the East-West Shrine Bowl, which will be played on January 30, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.