After four seasons and 40 starts, Penn State football’s Zane Durant is headed to the NFL.

The senior defensive tackle made 54 appearances for the Nittany Lions, tallying 89 tackles, 10 sacks, and 22 tackles for loss during his collegiate career.

Durant came to Happy Valley as a three-star recruit and the 50th-ranked defensive lineman out of the class of 2022, according to 247Sports’ Rankings. The Orlando, Florida, native chose Penn State over schools like Miami and Indiana.

Durant made an impact right away, playing in all of the team’s 13 games as a true freshman while recording a sack. The next season, Durant emerged as a key starter on Penn State’s defensive line. He was named an All-Big Ten honourable mention by the media for his efforts, as he registered five and a half tackles for loss and two sacks during the year.

In his junior season, Durant started all 16 games and was named the coaching staff’s Defensive Player of the Game three times throughout the season. He finished the year with three sacks and 11 tackles for loss. His production dipped slightly during his senior year, but Durant was still a plus for the Nittany Lions, ending the season with four and a half tackles for loss, four sacks, and the only interception of his collegiate career. Durant was voted an All-Big Ten honorable mention by coaches and media in each of his last two years in blue and white.

Durant was invited to the NFL combine, where his elite athleticism was put on full display. He ran the fastest 40-yard dash of all the defensive tackles with a 4.75-second time. He also finished in the top five in his position for the vertical and broad jump. Durant ranked second among defensive tackles at the combine in Next Gen Stats Athleticsm Score.

Standing at 6’1″ and 290 pounds, Durant is certainly undersized for his position, which raises questions about how he’ll fare in the league.

“Durant’s disruptive potential is maximized in slanting/twisting schemes, where he can use his lateral quickness to beat zone blocks, slip into gaps, and track down screens,” said NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein.

Durant currently sits at 129th on the consensus big board. That would slate him to get drafted early on day three in the fourth round. It’s unlikely Durant will become a four-down starter in the NFL, but his athleticism gives him a good chance to become a rotational piece on a team’s defensive line.

The 2026 NFL Draft runs from Thursday, April 23, through Saturday, April 25, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. All seven rounds will be broadcast on ESPN, ABC, and the NFL Network.