GREEN BAY, Wisc. —- Five former Penn State football players heard their names called during the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The first player off the board for the Nittany Lions was Abdul Carter with the third overall pick to the New York Giants. The defensive end was a certified top four pick heading into the draft, with mock drafts having him go anywhere from No. 2 to No. 4.
Carter will be joining one of the best defensive lines in the NFL, with Kayvon Thibodeaux, Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence II. The Nittany Lion played in his first season at defensive end after playing linebacker for two seasons. He will no doubt learn a lot from three former first round picks.
The next name called for Penn State was Tyler Warren at pick 14 to the Indianapolis Colts. Surprisingly, Warren was not the first tight end taken as the Bears took Colston Loveland from Michigan at No. 10.
The Colts had a glaring hole at tight end last season and needed to get a new weapon for whoever their starting quarterback is next season, Anthony Richardson or Daniel Jones. Warren’s 104 catches for 1,233 yards from 2024 will be a huge help to their offense.
No Nittany Lion was taken in the second round, but with an extended third round, KJ Winston was taken No. 82 by the Tennessee Titans. His selection marked the fourth straight year a Penn State defensive back was taken.
Winston was projected as an early second round or late first round pick heading into the 2025 season, but a season ending injury against Bowling Green saw his draft stock drop.
Jaylen Reed made it two safeties in a row when he was selected in the sixth round to the Houston Texans with pick No. 187. Reed was projected anywhere from the late third round to the seventh but found his home in Texas.
“I couldn’t be happier for Jaylen and his family,” James Franklin said. “The Houston Texans gained a special athlete and true competitor. Jaylen is a playmaker, a guy who was committed to taking his game to the next level every time he stepped on the field. He is a disruptive defender, elite tackler and a guy who can create a lot of havoc and force turnovers.”
The final player taken in the draft from Penn State was Kobe King at No. 201 to the Minnesota Vikings. He is the 72nd linebacker selected from Happy Valley, the most in NFL History.
Four more former Penn State players were picked up by teams directly following the draft. Jalen Kimber went to the Titans, Julian Flemming to the Packers, Coziah Izzard to the Chiefs and Sal Wormley to the Jaguars.
