Big 10 Prospects Watch List: Penn State
The past couple years have not been so happy in Happy Valley. They faced a devastating scandal, harsh sanctions (ask me later how I feel about those) and lost our legendary coach to cancer. Those were certainly dark days at Penn State. Recently though, the tides have begun to turn for the Nittany Lions; the sanctions have been reduced, Bill O’Brien and James Franklin have brought in major recruits, and the appearance at the Pinstripe Bowl brought the national spotlight back for a good reason. With all of the big time prospects O’Brien (now with the Texans) and James Franklin (a recruiting genius) have brought in, the amount of future NFL prospects coming out of Penn State is growing exponentially every season.
Lets take a look at some of the faces we could be seeing in next years NFL draft coming out of Happy Valley.
Christian Hackenberg – Junior, QB
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Hackenberg has had a “Jekyll and Hyde” career over his two seasons at Penn State. In Bill O’Brien’s pro-style offense, the true freshman flourished with now Jacksonville Jaguar Allen Robinson on his side. Once O’Brien left for the NFL and James Franklin came in, the 6’4”, 220 lb quarterback struggled to connect in a bootleg driven offense with no offensive line. While you can put all the blame on the offensive line or the fact that he’s in his third offense in two years, Hackenberg needs to work on his accuracy and reads. Other than that, he possess the attributes of a high NFL draft pick. He stands like a statue in the pocket and has one of the strongest arms in the Big 10 entering this season. With more offensive line help and some highly touted receivers coming in, Hackenberg should show glimpses of his freshman game tape.
Anthony Zettel – RS Senior, DT
Zettel will have to pack on a few pounds if he expects to draw the attention of NFL scouts, but he will have plenty of time for that. Adding 20-30 pounds for a college student/football player isn’t going to be an issue at the moment for Zettel. The redshirt senior has proven he can be a disruptive run defender, which is seen consistently in the 2014 season opener against UCF in Ireland. He can beat his man and reach the second level, but will need to add more muscle to compete with NFL ready talent. Besides those key points, he is an above average tackler who will stay with the play until the end. Zettel is certainly a key prospect to watch for entering the 2016 NFL Draft.
Geno Lewis – RS Junior, WR
Lewis is one of the bigger receivers on Penn State’s depth chart at 6’1. He plays on the outside on both sides with decent, yet deceptive, speed on vertical routes. His hands are a bit inconsistent, but when he gets the ball, he makes stuff happen. He remains constantly in control of the catch and possesses an excellent vertical jump, which is fairly effective in the redzone. Most importantly, the kid fights for yards, which was a tremendous help for Penn State when they beat UCF in the season opener on a game winning field goal with seconds ticking off the clock. If Lewis can work on his hands, he should be a popular face at the combine next winter.
Jordan Lucas – Senior, DB
Lucas is known at Penn State’s “most productive and dynamic players” after last season. The 6′ can lined up at slot corner last season, but is expected to move to safety in 2015 to help with the loss of Adrian Amos. If Lucas can succeed in the new position, he will intrigue teams heading into the draft. While he isn’t a ball hawk, he finished the 2014 season with nine pass deflections, which is almost double what first round pick Kevin Johnson had in his final season at Wake Forrest. In his sophomore season, he lead the team with 16 pass deflections, which shows his ability to be physical with the receiver through the play.
Kyle Carter – RS Senior, TE
With Jesse James being drafted by his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers, Carter enters the 2015 season with the opportunity to flourish as one of Christian Hackenberg’s key redzone targets. At 6’3, he should continue to be a matchup nightmare for smaller defenders. He runs excellent routes and has fairly effective hands in limited opportunities last season. While Jesse James took away the majority of Carter’s targets last season, the redshirt senior averaged nearly ten yards per catch last season, and over 12 in his first two seasons at Penn State. The former Consensus Freshman All-American is sure to draw attention throughout his final season in-front of the 106,000 fans at Beaver Stadium this season.