Penn State lands one first-round selection in PFF's first post-Combine mock draft.
The first post-combine mock draft has officially hit the internet, and the Nittany Lions, as expected, did not receive a lot of love.
Of the 16 potential draft picks, only one is projected to hear his name called in the first round in NFL Draft analyst Trevor Sikkema's latest mock draft.
In this mock, that selection doesn't come right away; it comes later in the draft at pick No. 22 when the Los Angeles Chargers are on the board. In this hypothetical, the Charges select Penn State offensive lineman Vega Ioane as their first move to solidify their offensive line.
Ioane is going to be a hot commodity when the run on interior offensive linemen begins. The Chargers might actually be a great trade candidate for teams looking to move up back into the first-round or move up from late in the first.
Ioane's stock has been pretty consistent throughout this entire draft process. PFF predicts that Ioane will go "sooner rather than later" in a draft that lacks the top-end interior offensive line talent.
The problem with his position is that it is not a high-value position, but for the Chargers, it is. Los Angeles probably feels as though they let a great year slip away from them after their starting offensive tackles both were injured.
Led by head coach Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers made it to the playoffs and faced a fine New England team, but got thoroughly beaten because their offensive line simply could not hold up.
Star quarterback Justin Herbert is getting to a turning point in his career where he either puts on a show and makes a run, or he is going to have a gray cloud following him for his entire career.
Right now, that Chargers roster on offense has decent weapons, and they need to absolutely nail this draft.
This decision for them will be a choice between Ioane and two Oregon Ducks, Kenyon Sadiq and guard Emmanuel Pregnon.
Ioane and Pregnon go back and forth as the top guard, depending on where you look. In this scenario, Ioane is the first name off the board, and the Nittany Lions would love that.
It will be a tough draft for the Nittany Lions, as last year did no one any favors. The struggle that the program went through was a tough one, and one of the consequences will be a boring draft night, especially on night one.
If Ioane goes first, it won't surprise anyone, and furthermore, if he goes to Los Angeles, he is going to make an immediate impact on a team that is ready to win now.