Penn State roundtable: Picking our favorite camp position battles

Penn State preseason camp is underway. The Nittany Lions will have a mixture of helmets-only and full-contact padded practices throughout August. Two scrimmages are allowed per NCAA rules. All of the drill days will help head coach James Franklin and his staff settle a number of positon battles that are taking place across the roster. Some are for starting roles. Others are trying to decide who will take key reserve snaps.

All of them are worth discussing. But, in the first Blue-White Illustrated roundtable of August, our staff picks their favorite one and explains why it stands out to them.

Sean Fitz focuses on Penn State special teams

I don’t know if I would call it my favorite, but the battle to win the placekicking duties is one that could show up in the wins and losses column this fall. Leg talent really isn’t an issue for Sander Sahaydak and Alex Felkins, it’s about consistency and that’s something that will be charted by Stacy Collins’ crew over tjr next month. Penn State isn’t in a rush to figure out who will be the guy, but they would rather find out who it is in August rather than learn on the fly in September.

We saw at practice this week that the Nittany Lions’ staff is throwing what they can at both to add pressure to the battle. Sahaydak and Felkins responded well, but there’s only so much you can simulate in practice. To add to that, the kickoff job – a more vital role than people care to remember until a kick goes sideways out of bounds – remains a question mark.

Nate Bauer says the Lions’ safeties are ones to watch

I don’t know if it qualifies as a position battle because I think the two starters are a little bit of a foregone conclusion at this point in Keaton Ellis and Jaylen Reed. But, Anthony Poindexter and Manny Diaz have a question ahead for which I’m intrigued to see their answer.

Effectively, how do you balance consistency, maturity, and experience against tantalizing talent that’s young and inexperienced?

It seems to happen every preseason at some position on the field, but this is the place that the difference between a forced fumble or interception could be the difference between winning and losing. As Poindexter has said in the past, turnovers change lives. The reality, though, is that busted coverages can too.

James Franklin said on Sunday that the hope is for the safeties, combined, to replicate Ji’Ayir Brown’s productivity. Whether Ellis and Reed, or if Kevin Winston and Zakee Wheatley can do it, remains to be seen, but Penn State is hopeful. How they manage that position might in some ways determine it.”

Thomas Frank Carr looks at the defensive line

I’ll go off the beaten path for my camp battle. It’s not for a starting position but for a key role. I mentioned this during my look at Penn State’s third-down defense. I’m highly intrigued by the potential battle for the nose tackle position in the Prowler Package. Zane Durant played well last year as a pass rusher, but what Dani Dennis-Sutton could do for the team could be transformative. Also, there’s been some smoke that Dennis-Sutton could see time rushing from the interior. My money is on this role.

I compared his size and power to former Miami edge rusher Gerg Rousseau and what he could do for defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. Rousseau’s 16 sacks and 46 pressures were so good that they got him drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft despite not playing in 2021. Dennis-Sutton is a similar body type, with great size and a long reach. Plus, he’s a better pass rusher than Rousseau was in college.

Can Dennis-Sutton mimic that performance? He could push Zane Durant for that position on third down if he can. He’d give Diaz incredible flexibility with Chop Robinson, Adisa Isaac, and Abdul Carter on the field simultaneously. It’s no shot at Durtant, but that lineup feels something out of a nightmare for offensive coordinators.

Greg Pickel wonders who will catch the passes for Penn State

Penn State continues to put out positive vibes about its receivers room. But it’s impossible to overlook the fact that it is led by an extremely talented but so far inconsistent player in KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Behind him, there are as many intriguing possibilities as there are legitimate question marks about who will actually be ready to take and make good game reps come the fall. Hopes are high for transfer Dante Cephas, and he looks the part so far. But, the key in this writer’s mind is Harrison Wallace II and Omari Evans stepping up into big time roles. Both are capable and have shown flashes of being able to handle the responsibility. But, this is my favorite position battle because of all the unknowns that go into it. Penn State is set to be set on offense. But not having enough receivers ready to go could quickly scuttle things.

The post Penn State roundtable: Picking our favorite camp position battles appeared first on On3.