Dani Dennis-Sutton is first Penn State defender off the board in 2026 NFL Draft
The first Penn State defender is off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft. Dani Dennis-Sutton was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the draft, going No. 120 overall.
Dennis-Sutton joins Vega Ioane, Drew Allar and Drew Shelton as Penn State players taken through 120 picks in the draft after Ioane went in the first round to the Baltimore Ravens with the No. 14 overall pick, Allar went in the third round to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Shelton went earlier in the fourth round to the Dallas Cowboys.
This is the third year in a row a Penn State defensive end has been drafted, with Abdul Carter going No. 3 overall in 2025, Chop Robinson going No. 21 overall in 2024 and Adisa Isaac going No. 93 overall that same year.
Dennis-Sutton spent four seasons at Penn State, contributing in all four years. He finished his time as a Nittany Lion sixth all-time in sacks in program history with 23.5. Of those, 17 came in the last two seasons when he had 8.5 each year.
He capped off his career by recording two sacks in the Pinstripe Bowl, when several draft-eligible teammates opted out of playing in the game. His decision to play was lauded, roundly, but he said postgame there was never another option.
“Playing in this game, this is nothing, man,” Dennis-Sutton said following the win over Clemson. “I love football. I love playing football. I love this program. It was sort of a no-brainer for me. I don’t really comprehend not playing in a game.”
That wasn’t his only postseason success, however. He also tallied 4.5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in the team’s College Football Playoff run in 2024 that ended in the semifinals.
Dennis-Sutton will have a chance to play right away for the Packers thanks to his size, speed and strength. He put together a strong pre-draft process. He ran a 4.63-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-6, 261 pounds and had 26 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press.
He’s likely to be remembered as one of the many Penn State players who contributed heavily to the program’s four-game winning streak to end the 2025 season — and one of the most productive defensive ends of the James Franklin era.
