With 15 combined invitations over the past two years, Penn State ranks No. 3 in the Big Ten for NFL Combine participation in James Franklin’s tenure.
Counting the Combines from 2015 to 2019, Ohio State is first in Big Ten participants with 47, followed by Michigan (28), Penn State (27) and tied at 21 each, Iowa and Michigan State.
With seven Nittany Lions taking part in the 2019 Combine — which kicks off Tuesday in Indianapolis and runs through next Monday — and eight in 2018, among Big Ten teams only Ohio State (with 21) has had more players participate in the event over the past two seasons.
Wisconsin (14) is the only other Big Ten program with double digit-participation in the past two Combines combined. Both Iowa and Michigan have had nine.
Penn Staters taking part in the 2019 Combine are: QB Trace McSorley, CB Amani Oruwariye, RB Miles Sanders, OL Ryan Bates and Connor McGovern, and DL Shareef Miller and Kevin Givens.
NATIONAL BREAKDOWN: 2018-19
Nationally from 2015-19, Penn State barely squeaks into the Top 20 for Combine participants. Alabama, with 55, ranks first, followed by Ohio State (47), Clemson (40) and Florida (39).
Here is the rest of the unofficial Top 20, based upon my review of the year-by-year invitation lists released by the NFL:
Miami, Fla. (37), LSU (36), Georgia (33), Southern Cal (33), Louisville (33), Texas A&M (32), Oklahoma (32), Florida State (32), Auburn (31), Washington (30), Notre Dame (29), Stanford (29), Utah (29), Michigan (28), Penn State (27) and UCLA (27).
Penn State’s 27 participants in 2015-2019 represents a jump up from 2010-2014, when it had 22, behind Iowa (30), Ohio State (29), Wisconsin (27), Nebraska (23) and Michigan State (23) in the Big Ten.
Obviously, NCAA sanctions levied against Penn State in 2012 has had an impact on the Nittany Lions’ numbers since 2013, which only makes Penn State’s ability to rank near the top in Big Ten participation more impressive.
PENN STATE PARTICPANTS: 2010-2019
Here are the Nittany Lions who received an invitation to the NFL Combine, year-by-year since 2010:
2010 (6) — LB Navorro Bowman, QB Daryll Clark, LB Josh Hull, LB Sean Lee, DL Jared Odrick, TE Andrew Quarless
2011 (2) — OL Stefan Wisniewski, RB Evan Royster
2012 (7) — DL Jack Crawford, DB D’Anton Lynn, WR Derek Moye, KR Chaz Powell, DL Devon Still, LB Nathan Stupar, OL Johnnie Troutman
2013 (4) — DL Jordan Hill, LB Gerald Hodges, LB Michael Mauti, OL Matt Stankiewitch
2014 (3) — DL DaQuan Jones, WR Allen Robinson, OL John Urschel
2015 (5) — DB Adrian Amos, PK Sam Ficken, LB Mike Hull, TE Jesse James, OL Donovan Smith
2016 (5) —QB Christian Hackenberg, DL Austin Johnson, DB Jordan Lucas, DL Carl Nassib, DL Anthony Zettel
2017 (2) — WR Chris Godwin, DL/LB Garret Sickels
2018 (8) — DB Marcus Allen, DB Troy Apke, RB Saquon Barkley, LB Jason Cabinda, DB Christian Campbell, TE Mike Gesicki, DB Grant Haley, WR DaeSean Hamilton.
2019 (7) — OL Ryan Bates, DL Kevin Givens, OL Connor McGovern, QB Trace McSorley, DL Shareef Miller, CB Amani Oruwariye, RB Miles Sanders
