Penn State Football

A look at ex-Penn State defensive tackle PJ Mustipher’s workout results at NFL combine

Former Penn State defensive tackle PJ Mustipher participates in the NFL combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday.
Former Penn State defensive tackle PJ Mustipher participates in the NFL combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive linemen and linebackers took the field Thursday in Indianapolis for workouts at the NFL combine.

Defensive tackle PJ Mustipher was the first of seven former Penn State players to have his turn in the spotlight at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Measuring in at 6 feet 4 inches and 320 pounds, he finished at or near the bottom of his position group in every event that measured speed.

NFL.com gave Mustipher a prospect grade of 5.62, saying he is a candidate for the bottom of the roster or practice squad.

40-yard dash: Mustipher ran the 40-yard dash in 5.41 seconds, the slowest time that was recorded among the 15 defensive tackles. Pitt’s Calijah Kancey had the best time at 4.67 seconds.

10-yard split: Mustipher’s 10-yard split tied for the slowest time with Baylor’s Siaki Ika at 1.88 seconds. Kancey was the quickest at 1.64 seconds.

Vertical jump: Mustipher posted a vertical jump of 27.5 inches. Georgia’s Jalen Redmond led defensive tackles with a 34.5-inch jump, while Georgia EDGE Nolan Smith won the day with a leap of 41.5 inches.

Former Penn State defensive tackle PJ Mustipher participates in the NFL combine Thursday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Former Penn State defensive tackle PJ Mustipher participates in the NFL combine Thursday at Lucas Oil Stadium. Kirby Lee Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Broad jump: Mustipher had the shortest broad jump among his position group at exactly 8 feet. Redmond and South Carolina’s Zacch Pickens tied for farthest broad jump among defensive tackles at 9 feet, 8 inches.

3-cone drill: Mustipher completed the three-cone drill in 8.01 seconds, tied for slowest at his position with LSU’s Jaquelin Roy. Redmond had the best time at 7.30 seconds.

20-yard shuttle: Mustipher had the slowest time at his position, finishing in 5.03 seconds. Redmond was the quickest, coming in at 4.51 seconds.

What’s next?

NFL combine workouts continue at 3 p.m. Friday with defensive backs and special teams. Quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends will have their turn starting at 1 p.m. Saturday. Running backs and offensive linemen take the field at 1 p.m. Sunday.

In addition to Mustipher, the Nittany Lions are represented at the combine by cornerback Joey Porter Jr., safety Ji’Ayir Brown, tight end Brenton Strange, center Juice Scruggs, and wide receivers Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley.

This all leads up to the draft, which begins April 27.

Penn State defensive tackle PJ Mustipher holds up the Leishman Trophy as he and the team celebrate their Rose Bowl win over Utah.
Penn State defensive tackle PJ Mustipher holds up the Leishman Trophy as he and the team celebrate their Rose Bowl win over Utah. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com

This story was originally published March 2, 2023 at 9:58 PM.

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