With eight weeks of the NFL season in the rearview mirror, discussions about the 2025 NFL Draft are beginning to brew. Because of that, mock draft season is officially upon us.

While the mock drafts published at this point in the season are almost certainly subject to change before April comes around, it is very important to see which college football players are catching the eye of scouts and media at this point in the scouting cycle.

There’ll be players that rise and players that fall, but for now, let’s take a look at how the draft-eligible Penn State football players of the 2025 draft class are shaking out.

Chris Trapasso (CBS Sports)

Chris Trapasso only included the first round in his latest mock draft, which came out Wednesday morning. Included in the mock draft was Abdul Carter, who many view as a talent that belongs in the top half of the first round. Specifically, Trapasso chose Carter to land with the San Francisco 49ers with the No. 14 overall pick.

“Three-straight edge rushers with this selection. Carter can play off the ball and range to outside runs or rush the passer from a three-point stance and deliver an array of pass-rush moves. Nick Bosa needs youthful help opposite him in San Francisco,” he wrote.

Carter would join a team with two Nittany Lion alumni, Ji’Ayir Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos, in California.

Daniel Flick (Sports Illustrated)

Similarly, Daniel Flick has Carter as the lone Penn State first-rounder in his mock draft, slotting him one pick higher than Trapasso at No. 13 overall to the Arizona Cardinals.

“Carter presents an explosive, high-upside rusher off the edge, and his 6’3″, 252-pound frame fits well in Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon’s defense,” Flick wrote.

Jordan Reid (ESPN)

Carter’s solo representation for Penn State continued in Jordan Reid’s ESPN mock draft. However, Jordan Reid has Carter going third overall to the Carolina Panthers, citing their “desperate need for high-end talent.”

“Carter would immediately be the team’s best young player there. After a slow start, the converted off-ball linebacker is steadily adjusting to his edge role, racking up four sacks and 18 pressures over six games,” Reid wrote.

In this scenario, Carter would be the highest-selected Penn State player since Saquon Barkley went No. 2 overall to the New York Giants in 2018.

Rob Rang (Fox Sports)

Just like Flick’s mock, Rob Rang has Carter landing in Arizona with the Cardinals’ No. 2 overall pick with his latest mock draft.

“Even while splitting duties with 2023 top-100 draft picks Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Carter earned First Team All-Big Ten honors with 5.5 tackles for loss, including 4.5 sacks,” Rang wrote.

In Rang’s simulation, Carter was the second edge rusher off the board, going behind Ohio State’s JT Tuimoloau.

Tankathon

In Tankathon’s latest three-round mock draft, six Nittany Lions were selected in the first 101 picks. Carter remained the only one to go in the first round as he landed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the No. 17 pick.

Then, Drew Allar and KJ Winston went back to back at No. 40 and No. 41 to both New York teams. Allar landed with the Giants and Winston with the Jets. It’s noteworthy that the simulator predicted Allar would declare for the NFL Draft after just two years of starting in Happy Valley.

Moving into the third round, the “most complete tight end in the country,” Tyler Warren, went to the New Orleans Saints with the No. 73 pick. Shortly after, Deni Dennis-Sutton was selected by the Patriots at No. 84, reuniting with his former Penn State teammate, Caeden Wallace in New England.

Finally, Nick Singleton was taken at No. 97 by the Minnesota Vikings. A lot of folks view Singleton in the same boat as Allar when it comes to leaving Happy Valley early to declare for the draft. As of now, it seems unlikely for both.