How Penn State Football Players Performed At 2026 NFL Combine

Sophie Yadzinski | Onward State

Folks, another NFL Combine has come and gone. Nine Penn State football players made the trek to Indianapolis to flash their skills to all 32 NFL teams.

2025 proved disastrous for Penn State, but a week at the combine definitely helped some Nittany Lions bring their stock right back up. Here’s how they performed throughout the week.

Vega Ioane

The redshirt junior measured in at 6’4″ and 320 pounds with an arm length of 32.75 inches and hand length of 10.5 inches. The Graham, Washington, native jumped 8’8″ on the broad jump and registered a 31.5-inch vertical.

Ioane’s Next Gen Stats overall grade was 6.40 and his total score came in at 80, which nestles him as No. 2 among guards at the combine. Ioane is the consensus top Penn State prospect and is going mid-to-late first round in most mock drafts.

“He worked hard to eliminate some extra weight and re-shape his body in the offseason and I think he played more consistently because of it,” an AFC area scout told NFL.com.

Zakee Wheatley

Penn State’s longtime safety had a decent combine showing, but didn’t crack into the upper echelon of safety prospects heading into the draft. He also only did the broad and vertical jump, measuring 32.5 inches and 10’2″, respectively. Wheatley participated in on-field safety drills.

Next Gen Stats tagged Wheatley with a 6.21 overall grade and 70 total score, making him the No. 17 safety at the combine.

Dani Dennis-Sutton

The first Penn Stater to really turn some heads at Lucas Oil Stadium was Dennis-Sutton. He ran a 4.63-second 40-yard dash with a 1.63-second 10-yard split, had a 39.5-inch vertical jump, a 10’11” broad jump, and a 6.9-second three-cone drill.

Came to compete and dominate. Nothing less. https://t.co/pss0Tx0bKI pic.twitter.com/shsEcP8Jpy
— Dani Dennis-Sutton (@thedanidennis) February 28, 2026

Next Gen Stats tagged the Millsboro, Delaware, native with an athleticism score of 85, second among combine edge rushers. He finished with a 6.16 grade and overall score of 78.

Drew Shelton

Penn State’s second offensive line prospect measured in at 6’5″ and 313 pounds. He ran a 5.16-second 40-yard dash and had a vertical jump of 31 inches and broad jump of 9’4″. Shelton ended his day with a total Next Gen Stats score of 70 and 6.14 overall grade.

“His athleticism and ability to get to any angle necessary in the run game makes him a fit for teams favoring outside zone. However, he’s likely to struggle with consistency unless he gets stronger and plays with better body control,” NFL analyst Lance Zierlein said.

Nick Singleton

Singleton did not participate in the combine after suffering a broken foot at Senior Bowl practice in late January. Next Gen Stats still assessed him a 72 total score. He linked up with former Penn State running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider, who now coaches at Notre Dame.

Singleton is unlikely to be healthy for Penn State’s Pro Day on March 18, but looks to work out for teams closer to the draft.

Drew Allar

Penn State’s gunslinger threw at the combine and in front of the cameras for the first time since his season-ending injury in October. He made the most of the opportunity, to say the least.

Before the Nittany Lions’ disastrous 2025 season and Allar’s lackluster play, the Medina, Ohio, native was seen as one of the top quarterback prospects for the 2026 draft. His stock felt like a downward spiral, but Allar has resurfaced as a legitimate top-five prospect in a weak quarterback class.

It’s no secret that Allar knows how to throw a deep ball. He threw one during his session in particular that made the rounds on social media. It seems like the Allar train is back, folks. Will he go down the Zach Wilson route or genuinely blossom into a serviceable quarterback? Only time will tell.

Drew Allar has one of the best arms of all time. If he smooths out his mechanics and develops his mind, he's gonna be a superstar pic.twitter.com/8HKmZVfrCJ
— Joe (@JoeA_NFL) February 28, 2026

Kaytron Allen

This is a message to NFL teams: when in doubt, feed the Fatman.

It seems that Allen is saving all of his measurements for Penn State’s Pro Day, but he did participate in some on-field drills in Indianapolis. Next Gen Stats dished him out a 5.97 grade and 69 total score, making him the No. 9 running back at the combine.

“Allen is productive with good size and vision but below-average explosiveness. He’s a fluid runner with ideal patience and a natural feel for when to cut off his blocks. He runs low to the ground with the strength to run through arm tackles and fall forward after contact. A feel for lane development allows him to fit any run scheme, but his lack of burst is likely to constrict the field and limit his ability to find explosive runs. Allen appears to lack third-down and special-teams value, but he could earn a spot as a solid backup,” Zierlein said.

Khalil Dinkins

Dinkins was the only Penn State player to participate in all measurements at the combine. He ran a 4.72-second 40-yard dash with a 1.7 10-yard split, had a vertical jump of 32.5 inches, broad jumped 9’11”, 7.28-second three-cone drill, 4.33-second 20-yard shuttle, and repped out 25 on the bench press.

He received a 5.97 grade and 65 total score from Next Gen Stats, making him the No. 25-ranked tight end in Indianapolis.

“The production doesn’t really speak to Dinkins’ explosive athleticism and potential if properly developed. He comes from NFL bloodlines and moves around the field with the fluidity of a big wide receiver. He ran a basic route tree and currently lacks the polish needed to maximize those routes,” Zierlein said.

Zane Durant

What did Durant eat for breakfast before taking the field at Lucas Oil Stadium? The Lake Nona, Florida, native calmly ran the fastest defensive tackle time in the 40-yard dash with a 4.75-second sprint. His 10-yard split came in at 1.66 seconds. He registered a 33.5-inch vertical jump and 9’4″ broad jump.

Next Gen Stats pegged Durant with an 89 athleticism score. His total score leveled out at 70 after a 59 production score, making him the No. 11 combine defensive tackle. He got an overall grade of 5.97.

Terry Smith loved every second.

#WeAre…. https://t.co/IzXTFsxTRL
— Terry M. Smith (@CoachTerryPSU) February 27, 2026

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About the Author

Oscar Orellana

Oscar is a second-year broadcast journalism student from Los Angeles. In his downtime, he can be found crying while watching Todd Gurley highlights or reposting movie edits on TikTok. He mostly writes about Penn State football. Email him at [email protected] or message him on Instagram @_oscarorellana.

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