Appropriately enough, K.J. Hamler was the first of five Nittany Lions from the 2019 squad to arrive in Indianapolis for this week’s NFL Combine.
Hamler did wear No. 1, after all.
And Mel Kiper Jr., of ESPN, who calls Hamler “Mr. Excitement,” does think he has a chance to go deep in the first round of April’s draft.
Hamler was in the first group of players to arrive for the 34th annual Combine — all have been held in Indy — on Sunday, with a group that included 27 quarterbacks, 20 tight ends and 55 wide receivers.
That wide receiver contingent includes former Nittany Lion wide receiver Juwan Johnson, who grad transferred to Oregon last year and helped lead the Ducks to a Rose Bowl title.
It’s been quite the month for Johnson: He got married last week in Las Vegas to former Penn State gymnast Chanon Raygoza, a two-time Academic All-Big Ten. Check out it out on the Johnson family’s YouTube channel video here.
Hamler is joined in Indy by another Penn Stater in Shannon Furman. A longtime NFL Films Emmy-winning director and producer, Furman is one of the moving forces behind ESPN’s “Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL.” Senior producer of the program, she’ll be on hand to shoot tape of Hamler, who will debut on the show on April 7.
Hamler follows in the “Hey Rookie” footsteps of Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley.
Among the 337 Combine participants in Indianapolis, four other Nittany Lions will be tested, poked and prodded: defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, a likely first-round pick; defensive tackle Rob Windsor, who some services have going in the fifth round; linebacker Cam Brown; and cornerback John Reid.
Look for Brown to show some extra versatility, not just in pass coverage and drills at all the linebacker spots, but as a rusher. He was tutored in January by former Penn State rusher and NFL Pro Bowler Tamba Hali. With Reid, the big question is will his testing reflect that corner that he was back in 2016, before knee surgery. His smarts and savvy are not in doubt.
THE BIG TEN COMBINED
Overall, Penn State’s 2020 group gives the Nittany Lions 20 Combine participants in the past three years. In the same time period (2018-2020), Ohio State leads the Big Ten with 32 participants, followed by Penn State and Michigan, both with 20, and Wisconsin (18).
For the 2020 Combine, Ohio State and Michigan will both have 11 players in attendance. Michigan State will have seven, while Penn State and Iowa will both have five, followed by Wisconsin and Nebraska, both with four.
In the past six Combines (2015-2020), Ohio State has sent the most players, with 58. Michigan ranks second, with (39), followed by Penn State (32), Michigan State (30), Wisconsin (28) and Iowa (20).
At the 2020 Combine, among the Power 5 conferences, the SEC will have the most players represented, with 93, followed by the Big Ten (57), Pac 12 (47), ACC (35) and Big 12 (29).
MUST-SEE TV
Penn State fans will have the opportunity to watch all the former Nittany Lions perform in prime time for the first time. The NFL Network will broadcast each day’s testing, drills and performances live. The schedule, by Penn Stater:
HAMLER, JOHNSON (QB, TE, WR) — Thursday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
GROSS-MATOS, WINDSOR, BROWN (DL, LB) — Saturday, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
REID (DB) — Sunday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
PENN STATE RECORDS WATCH
Hamler may have the best chance of the five Nittany Lions to break a Penn State Combine record. Hamler has Justin King’s 40-yard dash mark of 4.31 in his sights, set in 2008.
Remarkably, four of the seven major testing marks for Penn Staters recorded at the Combine over the past 20 years were set more than a decade ago. (Pro day records are another matter. Penn State is slated to hold its 2020 pro day on Tuesday, March 17, in Lasch Building and Holuba Hall).
Here’s a look at the seven records, based on available Combine performance records since 2000.
20-yard shuttle — Rich Gardner (2004), 3.92 seconds.
Vertical leap — Cameron (Derek) Wake, (2005), 45.5 inches.
40-yard dash — Justin King (2008), 4.31 seconds.
Bench press (225 pounds) — A. Q. Shipley (2009), 33 reps.
60-yard shuttle — Chris Godwin (2017), 11.21 seconds.
Broad jump — Troy Apke (2018), 10 feet, 11 inches.
3-cone drill — Grant Haley (2018), 6.51 seconds.
WHO TO ROOT FOR
You gotta like what Windsor and Johnson are doing with the bench press. Both are participating in “Reps for Rare Diseases 2020,” part of the nationwide fundraising efforts that were spawned by Penn State’s Lift for Life.
Donors make a pledge of dollars for each rep Windsor and Johnson accomplish during the bench press portion of the Combine.
To donate to Windsor’s efforts, click here.
To donate to Johnson’s efforts, click here.
THE BIG PICTURE
Here’s a chart I compiled that looks at the Big Ten and each school’s participation at the Combine since 2015, as well as how the schools have ranked in Rivals.com annual recruiting class rankings and on the field in that time.
It provides an overview of how well each program does in the key three phases of college football today: recruiting players, their success on the field, and their professional development.
