The hype around the NFL draft seems to never quite go away, even as the 2024 college football season remains months away. The media and NFL teams are constantly searching for who the next top draft prospects will be, and one of the most prominent voices in the space is already listing names to know.
Max Chadwick of PFF recently gave his ten prospects to know at each position, and there were a few notable Penn State skill players who didn’t make the cut. Tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] and running backs [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] all failed to make the top ten on Chadwick’s list, despite strong college careers so far.
Warren not making the list is most baffling, considering many draft analysts thought he could have declared early this past draft cycle. In fact, the Athletic’s Dane Brugler thought he could be one of the first tight ends selected.
Such a bummer #PennState TE Tyler Warren is going back to school and bypassing the 2024 NFL Draft (great for Penn State though).
I think Warren would've been a top-3 drafted TE in this class. pic.twitter.com/UL4YN7O2G2
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) December 30, 2023
Warren’s numbers don’t stand out at first glance, with just 422 yards last season and just 606 for his career. He has however been a scoring machine, with 11 career touchdowns on just 49 receptions. His ability with the ball in his hands makes him a dynamic threat as a receiver. He has the size and strength to run over defenders as well as hold up well as a blocker. Overall, I doubt he will end the season outside the top ten projected tight ends to be drafted.
The dynamic duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen both failing to crack the top ten is more excusable, especially since neither has had the chance to be a true bellcow back. They are limited in some ways by both being so talented, but the film shows two very different but still NFL-caliber runners.
Singleton’s calling card is his explosiveness and ability to use that speed to run both away from and through defenders once in the second level of the defense. Allen meanwhile is a bigger, more powerful runner with great vision and solid receiving chops. Their split workload may prevent either from putting up elite numbers, but they are certainly talented enough to declare early in 2025 if they choose to do so.