Penn State's Freakish Star Could Shock Everyone at NFL Scouting Combine

The Penn State Nittany Lions only have one player expected to go in the first round of the NFL Draft this April in offensive lineman Olaivavega Ioane. But they do have some intriguing names who could come off the board a bit later.

While quarterback Drew Allar and edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton are the most prominent eventual draftees in that regard, another player to watch is defensive tackle Zane Durant.

Durant just completed a four-year stay at Penn State and is coming off of a 2025 campaign in which he registered 25 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and an interception.

He isn't Peter Woods, Caleb Banks or Lee Hunter, three of the top defensive tackle prospects in the class. But he does a little bit of everything well and could be a very interesting pick in the middle rounds.

Of course, where Durant is selected will largely depend on how he performs at the NFL Scouting Combine this week.

Players like Durant use the combine as an opportunity to boost their stock, and Durant should have a great chance to do that in Indianapolis.

Durant's size could end up posing a problem for NFL teams, as he stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 294 pounds. That's definitely undersized for an interior defender, so he may actually end up in more of a 3-tech role.

And to be honest, that's perfectly fine.

One thing about Durant that makes him truly stand out is his incredible athleticism. He possesses tremendous speed for a defensive lineman, and his explosiveness and instincts are both there, as well.

Yes, Durant is still raw in that he doesn't have a wide repertoire of moves, relying mostly on his burst to get by offensive linemen. That won't work as well on the professional level, but if he can add some wrinkles to his arsenal, he could develop into quite the pass rusher in the NFL.

This is a very deep defensive tackle class even beyond the three I initially mentioned. Names like Kayden McDonald, Darrell Jackson and Christen Miller should also fly off the board fairly early, and there are plenty of other enticing prospects, as well.

That could lead to Durant dropping well into Day 3, but some team could get a potential steal in the Penn State product.

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