Which Penn State football stars could be selected in the 2021 NFL draft?
The 2020 NFL draft is in the books and five former Penn State football players have been announced as selections in the annual event. The Nittany Lions saw Yetur Gross-Matos and K.J. Hamler get drafted in round two, John Reid in round four and Cam Brown and Robert Windsor in round six. Penn State transfer Tommy Stevens also heard his name called, getting selected in the seventh round.
Now it’s time to look ahead and see who will have a chance to hear their name called in the 2021 NFL Draft.
LB Micah Parsons
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Parsons is the obvious mention here. He’ll be a junior next year and it would be an absolute stunner if he returned to Penn State for a fourth season on campus. He’s one of the best defensive players in the country and is a sure-fire first-round pick and a near lock to go in the top half of the first round if he stays healthy.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. recently called Parsons one of the top five prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft. He has the talent to play linebacker in the NFL, but his pass rushing ability will be what gets him drafted in the top five, if he goes that high.
TE Pat Freiermuth
Freiermuth is the other likely first round pick from Penn State in the 2021 NFL Draft. He, like Parsons, will be a true junior this season and will be at the top of his position group. Freiermuth already decided to return for 2020 after he found out he was eligible for the 2020 NFL draft because he did a post-graduate year after high school.
The junior is an elite tight end who can block and catch with the best in the country. Former NFL scout and current Ourlads general manager Dan Shonka called Freiermuth “arguably the best tight end in (the country).”
RB Journey Brown
Few players broke out in the second half of Penn State’s 2019 season like Brown did. He closed his redshirt sophomore season out as the team’s best running back and looks to be the clear-cut starter heading into his redshirt junior year. Brown has a unique blend of size, strength, speed and balance that will attract NFL teams, even in a world where his position has lost value.
It’s highly unlikely Brown becomes a surefire first-round pick because of the position he plays, but it’s easy to see a world where he becomes a second-round pick.
DE Shaka Toney
Toney, a redshirt senior, is a unique prospect because of his tantalizing upside and athleticism, but lacks the size and strength to hold up in the NFL. He’s listed at 6-foot-3, 236 pounds, which lends more to a linebacker than an edge rusher. Toney needs to add weight to be an NFL defensive end, but that isn’t easy. He’s a devout Muslim who recognizes Ramadan, a monthlong fasting period, that can make it difficult to put on weight.
If the defensive end can find a way to add that weight, he’ll give himself a chance to move up draft boards.
CB Tariq Castro-Fields
Castro-Fields could have the most volatile draft stock on the team this season. The senior had an up-and-down 2019 season and showed his high upside while also showing what it would look like if he was an NFL bust.
“The first half of the season he came out of the gate looking like a first-round draft pick,” Penn State cornerbacks coach Terry Smith said in an April teleconference with the media. “Then he suffered an injury and from that injury on, he was a different player. He wasn’t as confident, he wasn’t as sure of himself.”
Castro-Fields could play his way into being a Day 2 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, with a chance at hearing his name called in the first round if he reaches his absolute peak.
C Michal Menet
Menet arrived at Penn State as a five-star offensive line recruit and the top guard recruit in the country. He’s been a starter for the last two seasons and flashes the athleticism that made him a highly touted recruit. He’s an interior offensive lineman with almost no chance to move out to tackle.
His value will come in his ability to play all three interior spots and his intelligence and leadership as the leader of the offensive line. His ability to call protections will be valuable to NFL teams, especially those with a young quarterback. He’s a likely Day 3 pick in next year’s draft if his final season goes as expected.
S Lamont Wade
Few players will be entering the league at a better time, given their skills and limitations, than Wade. The NFL has placed a value on defensive backs who can contribute across the board. Teams have placed an increased emphasis on a player’s ability to fill multiple roles in the back seven and Wade can do just that.
The senior safety has proven he’s capable of playing the nickel cornerback position while also showing he can drop into the box and defend the run. If he can continue to improve and show his versatility, there’s no reason to believe he won’t get drafted next year.
OT Will Fries
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Fries’ draft stock could go one of two ways heading into next season. Either he improves under new offensive line coach Phil Trautwein and earns himself a spot on the third day of the draft, or he loses his starting job and spends his time as a backup for the Nittany Lions in his redshirt senior season. Penn State has plenty of offensive linemen champing at the bit to take Fries’ spot, but Trautwein believes he has traits NFL teams will want in a lineman.
“This is a big year for him,” Trautwein said on a teleconference with the media this week. “He wants to be All-Big Ten and he wants to be drafted. ... I think he has the ability to. He has great feet and loves the game of football. I think a lot of organizations will love that in him.”
Only time will tell if those traits are enough for Fries to keep his job and achieve his goal of being drafted.
This story was originally published April 30, 2020 at 11:25 AM.
