Scouting Penn State's Top NFL Draft Prospects

The Lions led the Big Ten in NFL Draft picks in 2022. Will that continue in 2023?

The arrival of college football's 2022 season means looking ahead to one important event: the 2023 NFL Draft, of course.

Penn State is coming off its most successful draft under coach James Franklin, with eight players getting selected in the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas. Jahan Dotson led the charge, becoming the first Penn State receiver drafted in the first round since 2003.

Franklin's teams have produced some of the nation's best recent draft results. According to Penn State, the school is one of four with at least five picks in each of the last five drafts. Penn State's 2022 draft was the best in the Big Ten and the program's best since 1996, when 10 Lions were drafted.

Early draft projections have next year potentially looking a little leaner for Penn State. According to NFL Draft Bible, three Lions rank among the top 100 preseason prospects.

Who are Penn State's leading draft prospects? And who are its sleepers? Here's a look via NFL Draft Bible's preseason rankings.

Who are Penn State's top draft 2023 draft prospects?

Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is going to show up in most early draft projections. The 6-2 standout has the potential to make Penn State history next year as the program's first defensive back drafted in the first round.

NFL Draft Bible ranks Porter just outside the first round at No. 36 overall but sees plenty of upside, saying he has the "prototypical build and attributes to be an NFL cornerback." In fact, NFL Draft Bible's Ric Seritella projects Porter going to Dallas at No. 21 overall.

Receiver Mitchell Tinsley is Penn State's second-highest-ranked prospect at No. 70 overall. Tinsley played at Western Kentucky last season, catching 87 passes in the nation's most prolific passing offense. He won't see that kind of production at Penn State, though Tinsley has every opportunity to work himself into a second-day pick.

NFL Draft Bible also is high on defensive end Adisa Isaac, ranking him at No. 72 overall. Isaac didn't play in 2021 because of an injury but should emerge as the Lions' top pass rusher this season.

Which Penn State players could rise in the NFL Draft rankings?

Receiver Parker Washington is No. 12 at the position, according to NFL Draft Bible, and should work himself into the top 10 with a big season. He could be a prospect whom coaches value more than scouts because of his hands and football IQ, NFL Draft Bible writes.

Defensive tackle PJ Mustipher is No. 15 as an interior defensive lineman, a ranking he should improve upon this season. Mustipher is among Penn State's top long-term draft projections, the type of player who easily could start for a decade.

Safety Ji'Ayir Brown could be Penn State's best draft story in 2023. He had no FBS offers in high school, played two years at Lackawanna Junior College, received a scholarship offer from Penn State and turned himself into one of the Big Ten's better safeties. NFL Draft Bible ranks Brown at No. 21 overall, a number that will continue to motivate him.

Who are Penn State's 2023 NFL Draft sleepers?

Is Theo Johnson a top-10 tight end nationally? NFL Draft Bible projects him at No. 9. Don't count out Brenton Strange here either, though.

Right tackle Caedan Wallace is unranked, though Penn State line coach Phil Trautwein says Wallace is among the most athletic tackles he has coached. Wallace can make a sizable draft move with a dominant season.

Likewise, center Juice Scruggs is unranked but might have the most NFL upside of any Penn State lineman. He can play all three interior positions, which will make a him a high-value pick.

What are quarterback Sean Clifford's NFL Draft prospects?

Here's how NFL Draft Bible scouts Sean Clifford, who is returning for his fourth season as Penn State's starting quarterback.

Clifford is an athletic quarterback who can play in a read-option system but doesn't display any high-level arm talent to succeed in the league as a quarterback. He is only athletically inclined for the quarterback position and therefore wouldn’t be able to change positions in the league.

NFL Draft Bible ranks Clifford as the No. 39 quarterback behind four other Big Ten quarterbacks, including Ohio State's CJ Stroud at No. 1. It also ranks Clifford behind former teammate Will Levis, the Kentucky starter who is No. 3.

The 2023 NFL Draft is scheduled for April 27-29 in Kansas City. For everything NFL Draft, visit NFL Draft Bible.

Read More

Jahan Dotson's Penn State scouting report

Matt Millen wants to see more from Penn State's offensive line this season

Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. seeks to make Penn State history at the 2023 NFL Draft

AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.