5 Penn State football players officially invited to 2016 NFL Combine

Five former Penn State football players will have their chance at impressing NFL scouts, owners, coaches and related team personnel at the end of February.

Quarterback Christian Hackenberg, defensive tackles Austin Johnson and Anthony Zettel, defensive end Carl Nassib and safety Jordan Lucas have all been invited to the 2016 NFL Combine, as announced by the league on Thursday afternoon.

Johnson is the highest-ranked prospect of the five, and his parents shared with the Centre Daily Times at the beginning of January that the defensive tackle, who decided to forgo his final year of eligibility at Penn State after earning his degree, heard from the NFL Advisory Board that he has a good chance of going in one of the early rounds of this year’s draft.

He is listed at a 5.98 in the league’s pre-combine composites (the highest available ranking is 10, but anything between a 5.50 and a 6.0 is listed as a “potential NFL starter”), and is the highest-ranked Penn State prospect.

Per the league’s analysis listed on NFL.com, Johnson’s strengths are “exceptional size and girth with burly bubble, thighs and calves. Doesn’t carry much bad weight on his sizable frame and moves well for a big man. Plays with excellent hustle and pursuit. Rare tackle production for an interior defender with 75 this season. Won’t give in against double teams. Plants an outside leg and fights hard to hold his ground and maintain integrity of his gap. Fights through secure blocks and gets back onto play side. Plus instincts and awareness. Against shotgun rushing attacks, looks to set an early edge and has a nose for screen passes. Bull rusher who can walk a center deep into the pocket.”

The 6-foot-4, 323-pound defensive tackle’s weaknesses included “(not making) hand usage a high enough priority at point of attack. Allows blockers into his frame forcing a much more labored disengagement. Has to change mindset from holding ground to winning quickly at point of attack. ... Needs to fire into blockers and take command of neutral zone. Not a penetrating pass rusher.”

Hackenberg and Nassib were rated at 5.61 each.

The quarterback decided to forgo his final season of eligibility, and announced his intent to enter the 2016 NFL Draft after Penn State’s TaxSlayer Bowl loss on Jan. 2. Hackenberg was once the highest-rated quarterback prospect out of high school but struggled during his final two seasons with the Nittany Lions behind a collapsible offensive line.

The 6-foot-4, 228-pound quarterback has been training for the next level with Jordan Palmer in California. Palmer is the younger brother of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, and, according to a CBS Sports report, sent Hackenberg through the same exact preparation process the older Palmer went through as he prepared for the NFL playoffs this postseason.

NFL.com did not list its analysis of Hackenberg’s “strengths and weaknesses.”

Nassib finished his career at Penn State (which started by him walking on to the team) by leading the nation in sacks (15.5) and forced fumbles (six).

Of the strengths of the 6-foot-6, 273-pound defensive tackle, analysts wrote “Long levers with big hands and comes off the ball with good upfield burst. Has straight-line speed. Excellent feel for navigating around the pass rush arc with maximum efficiency. Uses subtle hand play and lateral body lean to turn the corner and get after the quarterback.

“Comes off the ball with proper pad level and brings hips into contact to try and maximize his strength. Uses proper arm extension, plus vision and a well-timed shed to attack running backs in his gaps. Smart, instinctive defender who is able to diagnose plays quickly. National sack leader despite missing two games. Forced six fumbles this season.”

Nassib’s pre-combine evaluations weren’t without weaknesses, however.

“One-year wonder,” analysts wrote. “Not physical at the point of attack and can be mauled by power. Thin through legs and needs more mass across his frame for improved base and play strength. Not much twitch as an athlete. Average change of direction and finds himself out of position to make tackles. Lacking agility and ends up on ground too often. More of a grab and drag tackler than bodied-up finisher.”

Zettel earned the group’s third-highest rating, at 5.32. A fan favorite since he first arrived at Penn State, the 6-foot-4, 278-pound defensive tackle, who can also play on the end, used his unconventional athleticism to make an impact on and off the field.

Of Zettel, analysts wrote “Relentless motor. Doesn’t give offensive lineman a snap off with a lazy rep. Credited by Penn State with 38 tackles for loss over his career. Urgency ratchets up even higher when he smells a play is there to be made. Reads quarterback’s eyes and steadies himself to time a leap into passing lane. Had six passes defended in 2015. Has decent lateral footwork and a functional spin move that can open opportunities for him.”

Zettel is not without his downsides, however.

“Undersized interior lineman,” analysts wrote, per NFL.com. “Missing the necessary sand in his pants to take on double teams or down blocks without being pushed out of the gap. Gets mauled by power. Will struggle to leverage his gap with strength in the pros. May not have a natural position fit. Has short arms and can be controlled by length of tackles when playing outside.”

Finally, Lucas was rated a 5.23 on the combine composites. A leader for Penn State throughout his career, the safety had to miss the last third of the team’s season with a shoulder injury, and was forced to get surgery and miss his invitation to the 2016 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

Other players trying to make it at the next level are tight end Kyle Carter and center/offensive lineman Angelo Mangiro. Neither was invited to the Combine but are expected to participate in Penn State’s Pro Day in April.

The 2016 NFL Combine will be held in Indianapolis from Feb. 23-29.

This story was originally published February 11, 2016 at 3:04 PM with the headline "5 Penn State football players officially invited to 2016 NFL Combine."