The Penn State star slid to the fifth round following a Jones fracture, but a medical expert details when fans could expect him back.
The Tennessee Titans drafted eight players in the 2026 NFL Draft.
One of the more intriguing players they drafted was Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton. Singleton was taken by the Titans in the fifth round after having a great college career.
He left Penn State as the all-time leading scorer (55) and finished fourth in career rushing yards (3,461).
After a college career like that, you may wonder how in the world he fell to the fifth round. Singleton's stock dropped significantly after he suffered a foot injury in January at the Senior Bowl.
What makes this injury significant is that it's the same one Derrick Henry sustained while playing for the Titans in 2021. Henry only played in eight games that season, but what makes Singleton's injury different is that he has more time to recover before the opener in September.
AtoZ Sports' Austin Stanley spoke with Dr. Ronald Derr of the Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee about how long this kind of injury usually takes to heal. The exact name for the injury is a Jones Fracture, which occurs on the fifth metatarsal of the foot.
Derr revealed that a player can return from that injury after six weeks, but ideally, it will need around three months to heal.
“I think most studies show that the earliest the player will come back is roughly six weeks,” Derr said. “If you’re really pushing hard and you need them, but typically, if you can have about three months for that to really heal, that can really be a benefit to the player, to have that extra time.”
This means that if Singleton had surgery in February, this weekend would make about 13 or 14 weeks since the procedure.
If Singleton can recover in time for the 2026 season, and is anything like he was in college, it could greatly benefit what a lackluster rushing attack for the Titans in 2025 was.
Tony Pollard had another 1,000-yard season, but the rest of the running backs didn't carry their weight. Tyjae Spears had 283 rushing yards, and then there was Julius Chestnut, who finished with 40.
As a whole, the Titans averaged the third-fewest rushing yards per game in the league at 93.5.
Singleton isn't expected to come in and steal RB1 from Pollard, but there are numbers to suggest that he will have success in the NFL. Todd McShay noted that players who have success early in their college careers tend to translate better to the NFL.
The Penn State running back had no issues adjusting to college football after high school. He ran for 1,061 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns as a true freshman.
Singleton did have a down year in 2025, but that can be attributed to the offense playing behind on the scoreboard in many instances. Penn State barely made a bowl game and fired head coach James Franklin halfway through the year.
The team finished at 7-6 after beating Clemson 22-10 in the Pinstripe Bowl.
This Titans running game could use an infusion of young talent like Singleton. Hopefully, he can make a full recovery and have an impact as a rookie.
