After six seasons in Happy Valley, Penn State football offensive lineman Sal Wormley is hoping to head to the NFL. Wormley struggled to find the field early with Penn State, but over the last three seasons, he’s amassed 42 starts for the Nittany Lions.

Although he was born in New Jersey, Wormley was recruited out of Smyrna, Delaware, and was widely regarded as the No. 1 player in the state. The 247Sports Composite rankings viewed him as a three-star recruit and No. 17 guard in the country. Wormley chose Penn State over Notre Dame, Boston College, Duke, and Florida State.

Wormley redshirted his freshman year and appeared in three of the nine games during the shortened 2020 season. He then missed his entire redshirt sophomore season due to injury. After his first career start in 2022, Wormley never looked back, starting all 26 games at right guard for Penn State over the next two seasons and receiving an All-Big Ten honorable mention in both years. In 2024, Wormley continued to anchor the right guard position for the Nittany Lions, starting all 16 games.

Although Wormley did not receive an invite to the NFL Combine, he attended the East-West Shrine Bowl in January to give scouts a closer look at what he has to offer. In addition to the Shrine Bowl, he participated in Penn State’s Pro Day on March 28, producing an 8’1″ Broad Jump and a 5.29-second 40-yard dash. His broad jump number would have ranked third-from-last among offensive linemen at the combine.

Wormley has the prototypical guard build for the next level, using his 6’3″, 335-pound frame to displace defenders in the run game and drop his anchor in pass protection.

“Wormley is a vertical mover with the explosiveness to quickly work into the chest of opposing linemen,” Ryan Fowler, an analyst for the Draft Network, said.

Fowler added that Wormley “often plays over his toes” and requires refined hand and foot technique to compete for a spot on an NFL roster.

Despite his extensive collegiate experience at a major program, Wormley doesn’t possess the elite athleticism or lateral movement skills that teams covet in offensive linemen nowadays. While he could sneak into the draft as a late-day three selection, going undrafted is also possible for the three-year starter.

Wormley would benefit from going to a team with a vertical run scheme that allows him to fire out of his stance and attack downfield. Wherever the New Jersey native ends up, he will likely have to fight for a backup position on the interior of an offensive line to begin his NFL career.

The NFL Draft begins at 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, and ends on Saturday, April 26. All seven rounds of the draft will be televised on ESPN and the NFL Network.