ALTOONA, Pa. -- Here's a fun little exercise! We're going to combine what we saw from all the players on Penn State's 2022 roster with their ultimate NFL potential to come up with an NFL draft style top 10.
All players from the Nittany Lions' 2022 roster are eligible to be drafted. And you can use whatever criteria you like, with the goal being to try and determine which guys will have the most success in the NFL.
The criteria part is crucial here. Because you can go only on potential if you'd like and, say, pick Drew Allar No. 1 overall.
Or, you can say, hold on a minute, we've barely even seen Allar play, so let's be careful putting too much stock into his draft potential just yet.
You do you, boo! There's no Mel Kiper Jr. here to tell you that your drafting order is bananas or anything. If you want to put Dani Dennis-Sutton or Kaden Saunders in your top 3 based only on potential -- as crazy as that seems right now -- then you go right ahead.
My draft order is below. I went with the common sense approach of:
1. What have you done so far in college to prove that you're really good, and ...
2. Combine that with the ceiling that we think each of these guys could have in the pros, and ...
3. I'm not including anybody on this list who barely played at all or redshirted. I just won't go that far out on a limb. Now, Allar is somewhat of an exception, but he at least did see a good bit of action, albeit mostly in mop-up duty.
Here's how I would draft the roster:
1. LT OLU FASHANU
No-brainer, really. He might have been a top 10 pick this year had he come out, but instead decided to return to college for more experience and to get his degree. If he has a big 2023 season, he could be a top 5 pick.
2. CB JOEY PORTER JR.
Another no-brainer. He's about to become the first Penn State defensive back ever to be drafted in the first round, and he could even go in the top 10.
OK, now things start to get a little more interesting ...
3. CB KALEN KING
He came on strong late in the 2022 season and turned a lot of heads. So much so that some are considering him as a potential first-round draft pick next year.
King surely benefited from playing alongside Porter, so he may not have always faced the opposing team's No. 1 receiver. Regardless, even when Porter missed games late in the year, King was always right there making plays, no matter who he was guarding.
It would be incredible, after all these years of never having a defensive back go in the first round, if Penn State would have it happen in back-to-back years with Porter and King.
4. LB ABDUL CARTER
What? Still no Allar off my draft board?
Hey, I'm just not gonna fall so in love with a quarterback based only on potential that I'll put him above somebody like Carter, who has already shown us how good he is and can become as he improves.
I don't think Carter will be as good as Micah Parsons. That's not going out on a limb, given that Parsons is already an NFL superstar and could end up being one of the best Penn State linebackers ever in the NFL.
But even if Carter is, like, 85 percent as good as Parsons, you'd still be talking about an outstanding player. Carter has two years left in college, and I'm looking forward to seeing if he can become a truly special player.
5. QB DREW ALLAR
OK, so maybe a lot of you would have taken Allar higher than this. That's fine. If he goes on to have a big 2023 season, then I'll look back on this draft and admit I undervalued him.
He's this high on my draft list based on two things:
1. Potential
2. Quarterback is the most important position in sports
So, if indeed Allar comes even close to all the expectations everyone has of him, he could be a first- or second-round draft pick after the 2024 season.
6. S JI'AYIR BROWN
I don't exactly love this pick, I'll be honest. Don't get me wrong, I do really like Brown as a player. He's a leader, a playmaker and tremendously dedicated.
At the expense of angering some fans, I just think Brown was maybe a little overrated in college. Yes, he was very good and very important to the Lions. But there are a number of Penn State beat writers who think he should have been first-team all-Big Ten or that he got robbed big time from a recognition standpoint.
I don't necessarily see it that way.
OK, so why do I have Brown at No. 6 on my draft list? Primarily because we know what we're going to get from him more so than most other guys on this list, many of whom are still young and still have to live up to their potential.
Brown is a consistent, stable presence on defense who will always make the plays he's supposed to make and occasionally some flashy plays. He's reliable, and there's great value in having reliable guys.
7. RB NICHOLAS SINGLETON
For the record, I am a staunch believer that, under most situations, teams should NEVER draft a running back in the first round.
Basically every metric will reveal that you can find running backs who will be nearly as successful and will cost way less. It is a gigantic waste of money to take a running back early in the draft, and you cannot convince me otherwise.
Now, none of that has anything to do with Singleton, per se. He might end up being phenomenal at Penn State and be considered a tremendous NFL prospect. And I would STILL say there's no way he should be taken in the first round.
So, from a sheer value standpoint when it comes to the running back position, I dropped him down pretty far on my list.
8. DE CHOP ROBINSON
He had 10 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, but was only honorable mention all-Big Ten by the coaches and media. He also was more disruptive than the stats would indicate.
If he has a really big 2023 season, he could work his way to a third-round pick or better.
9. WR PARKER WASHINGTON
He could be a third- or fourth-round pick this year. He was a solid college wide receiver, but never really stood out to me as a star.
I see him being a solid possession receiver in the NFL, but he needs to land with the right team and develop over a couple of years.
10. OL LANDON TENGWALL
For my last pick, I'll take the young lineman who missed half the season with an injury but still has great potential.
He could be one of the best offensive linemen in college football in a couple of years.
Alrighty, those are my picks. Agree or disagree with any of them, or you want to pick your own top 10? Post in the comments.