The NFL Scouting Combine is underway in Indianapolis and the Penn State Nittany Lions have five players in attendance. While superstars Abdul Carter and Tyler Warren aren’t participating in the drills, Kevin Winston Jr. Jaylen Reed, and Kobe King will be busy trying to boost their draft stock.
If a quick 40-yard dash won’t do it, then maybe this brief sales pitch will. Here’s the No. 1 selling point for all five Penn State football players at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.
Selling point: Speed
Carter has insane speed off the edge and in his only season as a full-time defensive end, he used it to generate 66 quarterback pressures, 13 sacks, and 23.5 tackles for loss. With his background as an off-ball linebacker, Carter is impressive in coverage and thrived as a spy for mobile quarterbacks, but his superpower is his speed off the edge.
After suffering an injury in the CFP quarterfinal win over Boise State at the Fiesta Bowl, Carter played the CFP semifinal with one arm and still racked up eight pressures and a sack against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.
Despite a bum shoulder, Abdul Carter #11 was everywhere in his final college game.
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 10, 2025
Not hard to see why he'll be a top-4 pick. pic.twitter.com/lhlI45MpEr
Selling point: Versatility
If he only took snaps at tight end in 2024, Tyler Warren would still be a surefire first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but Warren did some of his best work as a wildcat quarterback on short-yardage runs and he even threw a touchdown pass. Warren is an absurd athlete at his monstrous size and he can do everything on the offensive side of the ball. If you want a traditional tight end, Warren is your guy, but with the right play-caller, Warren could be the ultimate offensive chess piece.
Selling point: Explosiveness
Coming into the 2024 season, after a breakout sophomore campaign, Winston was top of mind for NFL evaluators. However, he suffered a partially torn ACL in the second week of the season and did not return to the field.
Winston is not the rangy over-the-top safety that many teams are covetting to help shut down the explosive passing game from centerfield, but if you pair him with a player like that, he’ll thrive playing downhill and trigger on underneath routes and run plays with his explosive first step and aggressive mindset. Despite missing nearly his entire junior season, Winston should be a Day 2 selection.
Selling point: Physicality
If you want a versatile player in the secondary who isn’t afraid to mix it up in the run game and has a nose for the ball when he’s around the line of scrimmage, then you want Jaylen Reed. Reed had his best game of the season in Week 1 when, with Winston healthy, he played primarily in the slot in defnesive coordinator Tom Allen’s three-safety scheme. Against West Virginia, Reed recorded nine tackles, one tackle for loss, two pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
Reed may sneak into the third round with a strong Combine performance, but he’ll likely be a Day 3 selection who can make an impact his rookie year.
Selling point: Run stuffer
The second-team All-Big Ten linebacker is not a three-down player in the NFL. He could barely survive in coverage against good college tight ends and running backs, so NFL teams will have a field day if they can get the right matchup. However, in a league that is seeing the pendulum swing back towards the run-game, King should have a role as an early-down run-stuffer.