Despite coming off one of the worst seasons in college football, Penn State was still able to put together a really good draft class.
Penn State came into the 2026 NFL Draft as a major question mark. Their 2025 season quickly became a ridiculous disaster as it came undone at the seams.
Losses stacked up, draft-eligible players were injured, including their quarterback, and the outlook for a lot of the players leaving the program looked bleak. The bigger issue is that a lot of the draft-eligible players were coming out a year after they probably should have, after their junior seasons.
They came back to Happy Valley to chase a title, but they didn't get it done, and they looked like a disaster in the process.
Fast forward to the 2026 NFL Draft, no one really knew how many Nittany Lions were going to get selected, but it turned out to be a really decent group.
Penn State ended up with eight players selected in the draft, just three behind Ohio State, which set the pace for the most players drafted in all of college football.
The two bookends for Penn State were Vega Ioane, who was selected with the 14th overall pick by the Baltimore Ravens, and running back Kaytron Allen, who went in the sixth round at pick 187 by the Washington Commanders.
- Round 1, Vega Ioane, Baltimore Raves
- Round 3, Drew Allar, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Round 4, Drew Shelton, Dallas Cowboys
- Round 4, Dan Dennis-Sutton, Green Bay Packers
- Round 5, Zakee Wheatley, Carolina Panthers
- Round 5, Nick Singleton, Tennessee Titans
- Round 5, Zane Durant, Buffalo Bills
- Round 6, Kaytron Allen, Washington Commanders
There was a run on Nittany Lions there in the fifth round as three of them were selected after two were chosen in the fourth round.
The only negative part about almost everyone on this list is that they probably sacrificed at least a 1.5 rounds had they come out after the 2024 season. Fresh off a Big Ten Championship Game appearance and a run to the National Semifinal, all of these guys would have gone higher.
Nonetheless, they still get their opportunity at the next level, a place where the cream always rises to the top. If they have what it takes, they will get the job done at the next level, simple as that.
After a really crazy year, the Nittany Lions still put together a really formidable draft class that they can be proud of looking back on.
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