Where Abdul Carter, Drew Allar and other Penn State stars land in midseason NFL mock drafts

Penn State travels to Wisconsin for a big matchup on Saturday, but after being eliminated for half of the regular season, it's worth taking a look at some of the Nittany Lions' best future prospects.

This highly touted 2022 recruiting class – including Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, Abdul Carter, Dani Dennis-Sutton and Kevin Winston Jr. – will be eligible for the draft for the first time. And then there's the NFL Draft's other headliner, Tyler Warren (a newly minted candidate for one of the country's highest honors).

However, Warren was surprisingly left out of most available midseason mock drafts despite being widely considered one of the top tight end prospects on the board. Carter is by far the most popular and common first-round pick.

The Lions, who are 6-0 and ranked No. 3 in the AP poll, were well represented in the 2025 national mock drafts. Overall, Penn State has had great success in the NFL Draft recently. Since 2018, six Nittany Lions have been drafted in the first round, with a total of 57 players drafted during the James tournament.

There have been 416 Nittany Lions drafted in program history. A slew of this year's stars will be joining this list soon, and some national experts are predicting they will be included.

Note: The mock drafts cited for this story mostly only cover the first round and up to the third round. You can find them here: PFF, CBS (Josh Edwards), Sports Illustrated, ESPN, 33rd team, Tankathon, Design of a network.

• BET: Check out our guide on how to do this best PA sportsbookswhere our team of sports betting experts reviewed the experience, payout speed, combination options and quality of odds for multiple sportsbooks.

EDGE/DE/LB Abdul Carter – Junior

Carter was already an elite talent in his first two seasons at Penn State, but he's burst onto the scene this season after moving to defensive line – a move he made in part with the NFL Draft in mind. He leads Penn State with four sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss.

Penn State has been particularly successful at producing pass rushers lately: Chop Robinson (first round, 21st overall) and Adisa Isaac (third round, 93rd overall) both entered the 2024 draft. Arnold Ebiketie (second round 2022), Odafe Oweh (first round 2021) and Micah Parsons (first round 2021) were also highlights.

PFF: 13th overall for the New Orleans Saints

CBS: 17th overall for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sports Illustrated: 13th overall for the Arizona Cardinals

ESPN: 3rd overall for the Carolina Panthers

33rd Team: 2nd overall for Carolina Panthers

Tankathon: 17th overall for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Draft Network: 10th overall for the New York Jets

QB Drew Allar – Junior

Allar will be a polarizing prospect once draft season begins. He has all the measurable stats and arm talent a team could want, but the on-field results have been good, not great, in his season and a half as Penn State's starter. He protects the ball but hasn't thrown it long distances often. A strong game at USC, despite three interceptions, could help change that narrative.

The last quarterback drafted by Penn State was Sean Clifford in the fifth round by the Green Bay Packers in 2023. The most drafted Nittany Lion quarterback of all time was Richie Lucas, who was fourth overall by the Washington Redskins in 1960. Kerry Collins and Todd Blackledge were the only others selected in the first round.

33rd Team: 9th overall for the New York Giants

Tankathon: 40th overall (second round) for the New York Giants

TE Tyler Warren – Senior

Warren is simply a beast. But he could be someone who needs to boost his stock through strong testing at the NFL Combine. After a crazy, record-breaking day at USC, he should continue to rise up draft boards.

Tankathon: 73rd overall (third round) to the New Orleans Saints

DB Kevin Winston Jr. – Junior

It was easy to put Winston in the first or second round this preseason, but a “long-term” injury he suffered against Bowling Green (possibly season-ending) changed things. Still, teams will like him if he declares for the draft. Franklin called Winston physically “gorgeous” this preseason.

Tankathon: 41st overall (second round) for the New York Jets

Draft Network: 22nd overall for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

RB Nicholas Singleton – Junior

Penn State's star running back will most likely benefit from a draft choice if he leaves. It just depends on how early, and due to the volatility of the position, forecasts may vary. Still, it helps that he has returned to his debut form this season with some long runs.

33rd Team: 40th overall for the Las Vegas Raiders

Tankathon: 85th overall for the Indianapolis Colts

DT Zane Durant – Junior

33rd Team: 45th overall for the Arizona Cardinals

DB Jaylen Reed – Senior

33rd Team: 50th overall for the Jacksonville Jaguars

EDGE/DE Dani Dennis-Sutton – Junior

Dennis-Sutton is another player with all the measurables in the world. However, this season's numbers are misleading as he has two sacks and four tackles for loss. If he goes and gets drafted, he and Carter would be the first pair of PSU defensive ends drafted in the same year since…well…last year.

Tankathon: 84th overall for the New England Patriots

• Subscribe to PennLive's daily Penn State newsletter Penn State today and the Subscriber-exclusive Penn State Insider