The air was brisk as Penn State took reps during Wednesday’s practice, the weather cooling just in time to prepare the team for a trip to Minnesota on Saturday. James Franklin cycled through position groups, watching with intent as his tight ends pushed sleds, his running backs practiced ball-security drills and his offensive and defensive lines faced off.
Among the linemen working head-to-head was true freshman defensive end Jaylen Harvey, who took 11 snaps and tallied a tackle for loss before he was carried off the field with an injury in the fourth quarter last weekend against Purdue. Harvey could hardly walk along the sidelines, and it appeared unlikely he’d practice this week. Nonetheless, he did, and appeared to move without trouble.
Harvey has only appeared in two games this season, meaning he technically could play in each of the Nittany Lions’ two remaining regular season games and retain his freshman redshirt. If healthy enough, Harvey could present himself as another depth option to a position group loaded with talent in Abdul Carter, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Amin Vanover and Smith Vilbert.
Elliot Washington II, who has played at cornerback in all 10 games this year, was also injured against the Boilermakers. He left for the locker room in the second quarter and did not return. Washington, who leads Penn State with six pass deflections, was not in attendance for Wednesday’s practice viewing window.
Washington’s availability against the Golden Gophers shouldn’t impact a starting lineup that has included SEC transfers A.J. Harris and Jalen Kimber in almost every game this year. As for depth, it could mean increased time for Audavion Collins, who played a season-high 28 snaps at Purdue in Washington’s absence.
Cam Miller and Zion Tracy could, in theory, rotate in at cornerback, as well. But it appears they’ve found their home at nickel, a spot that opened up after Jaylen Reed was moved to safety following Kevin Winston’s Jr.’s long-term injury.
PROMINENT SCOUT IN ATTENDANCE
It’s become increasingly likely that the Dallas Cowboys could earn a top-10 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. That means they could have a shot at selecting Carter, a Lombardi Award finalist. On Wednesday, a member of Dallas’ personnel staff was in attendance, and appeared to focus on the one-on-ones between offensive and defensive linemen.
That’s not to say that the Cowboys will have the opportunity to draft Carter or follow through on it. But it is interesting to envision a defensive line with Carter and Micah Parsons, two Penn State greats, on opposite sides.
