Five Penn State football players were selected during the 2025 NFL Draft, held April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In addition, several other Nittany Lions were signed as unrestricted free agents following the draft.
Players drafted included:
Abdul Carter, defensive end — New York Giants (1st round, 3rd pick)
Tyler Warren, tight end — Indianapolis Colts (1st round, 14th pick)
Kevin Winston Jr., defensive back — Tennessee Titans (3rd round, 82nd pick)
Jaylen Reed, defensive back — Houston Texans (6th round, 187th pick)
Kobe King, linebacker — Minnesota Vikings (6th round, 201st pick)
Tight end Tyler Warren was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts with the 14th overall pick. Warren is Penn State’s third tight end to be selected in the first round of an NFL Draft, joining Ted Kwalick (7th overall, San Francisco, 1969) and Kyle Brady (9th overall, New York Jets, 1995). Penn State has had a tight end selected in each of the last three drafts, including Brenton Strange (2nd round, Jacksonville, 2023), Theo Johnson (4th round, New York Giants, 2024), and Warren. Penn State entered the 2025 draft tied with Georgia, Iowa, and Michigan for the longest streak of tight ends drafted. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons
With this year’s draft, Penn State has had at least five selections in each of the last eight NFL Drafts. It also marks the first time in program history that Penn State has five or more draft picks in eight straight seasons. Penn State joins Alabama and Georgia as the only FBS programs with five or more draft picks in the last eight seasons.
The Nittany Lions have a total of 50 players who have been drafted in the last eight NFL Drafts, the most in an eight-year span for the program since 1987 to 1994, when 54 players were drafted. A total of 393 Nittany Lions have been selected all-time in the NFL Draft, which ranks seventh among Division I institutions. Penn State has had 59 players selected since James Franklin’s arrival to the program in 2014, including 25 taken on the first two days of the draft. In that span, Franklin has the most defensive backs selected (16) among active FBS head coaches.
In addition, four players so far have signed with teams as unrestricted free agents, including:
Sal Wormley, offensive lineman — Jacksonville Jaguars
Julian Fleming, wide receiver — Green Bay Packers
Coziah Izzard, defensive tackle — Kansas City Chiefs
Jalen Kimber, cornerback — Tennessee Titans
Source: psu.edu