Penn State Football Gets High Praise With Way-Too-Early Senior Bowl Evaluations

Following a fairly successful 2021 NFL Draft for the Nittany Lions there’s no time like the present to look ahead towards the 2022 NFL Draft and current Penn State players might hear their names called.

Of course there are many bridges to cross between now and then. For one, draft eligible players have to declare in the first place, but as Jim Nagy, the Executive Director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl noted on Monday, Penn State has plenty of quality draft ready options on the board already.

“Penn State among schools with most draftable preliminary grades for 2022 @seniorbowl,” Nagy said in a tweet. “Including four among top prospects at their respective positions. We grade glass half-full off junior tape to account for development but 11 is still a big number.”

For the most part Nagy’s list is as expected. Jahan Dotson, Tariq Castro-Fields and Jaquan Brisker in particular appear already in good shape with NFL scouts – albeit each with a bit more to prove in 2021-22 – with all three laying claim to first or second round potential.

At linebacker Ellis Brooks is poised for a breakout year while transfers John Lovett [Baylor running back] and Arnold Ebiketie [Temple defensive end] will look to introduce themselves to the Penn State faithful this upcoming season.

The trio of Mike Miranda, PJ Mustipher and Jonathan Sutherland have all put together solid careers so far while at Penn State and will only help their stock this upcoming campaign.

As for quarterback Sean Clifford, he remains something of an unknown heading into 2021 following a solid 2019 season but an equally rocky 2020. Clifford has two years of eligibility remaining thanks in part to the NCAA ruling that the 2020 COVID-19 impacted season would not counts towards a player’s eligibility. Clifford’s up and down career hasn’t been short on impressive plays or solid performances but in terms of the relatively high bar set for NFL quarterbacks, one imagines that he has work left to do to establish himself as a legitimate draft option.

While entirely speculative, it seems not out of the question to consider the possibility Clifford might return looking for a fourth season at the helm of Penn State’s offense in 2022 depending on how 2021 unfolds. Of course transfers, recruiting and internal competition all have the potential to sway thinking at the quarterback position now and in the future. That said, at this particular moment in time Clifford appears to be Penn State’s best option and in turn coach James Franklin may not be inclined to usher him along to the next chapter without an obvious successor in line.

But a lot can change in a year, and a lot almost certainly will.

Nevertheless, as Penn State puts 2020 and the 2021 NFL Draft behind it, the Nittany Lions will almost certainly once again be a force once the 2022 Draft come around with plenty of talent going in early and later rounds.