Preseason in the NFL is well underway, and so are the overreactions that come with it.

With 16 games played across the league, many former Penn State players suited up in their new NFL colors. Overreactions or not, the performances across the league this week made the Penn State program proud.

With the regular season kicking off in just a few weeks, here’s how the Nittany Lions showed out in Week 3 of preseason action.

Drew Allar, Pittsburgh Steelers 

The former signal-caller for the Nittany Lions took over the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense to start the second half.

While he didn’t turn the ball over, the Steelers still struggled to move the ball. Plagued by dropped passes and a few penalties, Allar was unable to put a touchdown on the board this weekend.

The third-round pick was sacked three times and finished the night completing 11-of-23 attempts for 110 yards. It was a rough night all around for the Steelers, as they fell to the Jets, 17-0.

Allar made the play of the night and his NFL career (so far) when he escaped a crowded pocket and unleashed a 38-yard strike down the left sideline to his tight end.

The highlight play made multiple social media pages and got the country talking about him and his high potential in the league.

What a throw by Drew Allar

NYJvsPIT on @nflnetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/G9nVGjW8BQ

— NFL (@NFL) August 22, 2026

Kaytron Allen, Washington Commanders

Following his first NFL touchdown last week, the new Commanders tailback rushed for 30 yards on 10 carries, while also notching a reception for 1 yard, in a 17-13 loss to the Detroit Lions.

His longest run was an 11-yard gain.

Sean Clifford, Cincinnati Bengals

Sean Clifford completed 10 of 15 passes in the Bengals’ 27-9 victory over the Chicago Bears.

He averaged 8.4 yards per attempt and completed 67% completion rate with 126 passing yards, 11 rushing yards, and an interception.

Clifford was also able to add a touchdown with a beautiful moonball into the end zone, into the waiting arms of Noah Thomas.

Sean Clifford (1) to Noah Thomas (1)*
Cincinnati Bengals
20 yards pic.twitter.com/9XmRh5OGQ7

— NFL Touchdown Videos (@NFLTDsVideos) August 23, 2026

Trebor Pena, Jacksonville Jaguars

Pena was the lone bright spot in a 34-17 defeat against the Carolina Panthers.

The Nittany Lion caught all four of his targets and averaged 18 yards per catch. His 72 yards came with a 29-yard touchdown, in which he broke a tackle and outran multiple defenders on his way to the end zone.

Hunter Nourzad, Kansas City Chiefs

Nourzad played 36 snaps on the offensive line and allowed no pressures against Tampa Bay.

The former fifth-rounder in 2024 earned the highest pass-blocking grade on the team in their narrow 16-15 defeat against the Buccaneers.

Zakee Wheatley, Carolina Panthers

The fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft recorded four tackles (three solo) in a 34-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Devontae Ross, Los Angeles Chargers

Ross caught two of three targets for 24 yards in a 41-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

The 2026 undrafted rookie continues to get a lot of special teams snaps, as he added a 14-yard kick return before his first NFL fumble.

Kaylen King, Arizona Cardinals

The 2024 seventh-round pick produced four tackles (two solo) at cornerback for the Cardinals in their 34-13 loss to the Cowboys.

Zane Durant, Buffalo Bills

The defensive tackle and fifth-round pick in this year’s draft notched three tackles for the Bills in a 31-7 routing of the Cleveland Browns.

Dom DeLuca, Baltimore Ravens

The undrafted safety played well for the Baltimore Ravens. His four tackles included one behind the line of scrimmage, and all of them limited the Minnesota Vikings offense to just three points in a 13-3 victory for the Ravens.

Jaylen Reed, Houston Texans

Reed continues to impress this season, as he picked up six tackles (three solo) in a 22-20 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Jesse Luketa, New England Patriots

The 2022 seventh-round pick had two tackles playing linebacker for the New England Patriots in their 24-21 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Other Notable Performances

Rasheed Walker, offensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers, allowed no pressures on 13 snaps with the second-highest pass blocking grade on the team during their victory.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith, impressed as a wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers. The former Nittany Lion and Auburn Tiger, a fifth-round pick in 2025, had two receptions on four targets for 14 yards and two punt returns for 15 yards

Vega Ioane, offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens, allowed one quarterback hurry on 19 snaps in their win.

Theo Johnson, hauled in a reception for 12 yards in the New York Giants’ victory over the Dolphins.

Olu Fashanu, offensive tackle, allowed one quarterback hit on 10 snaps for the New York Jets in their win.

Harrison Wallace III, an Ole Miss transfer and wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, had one kick return for 24 yards in their loss.

Jordan Van Den Berg, a Georgia Tech transfer, recorded three tackles (two solo) at defensive tackle for the Bears in their loss.

Jordan Stout, the punter for the New York Giants, had three punts with a 41-yard average.