Trio of Nittany Lions Drafted During Latter Rounds of NFL Draft
Tagged under: News, Penn State, Pennsylvania Colleges, pfn
Mason Eddinger | April 27, 2025
After Abdul Carter and Tyler Warren went in the top 15 in the first round, Penn State players had to wait a bit longer to hear their names called. On Friday morning, we discussed Carter and Warren’s fits with their new teams, which you can find here. For today, we will discuss the other three Penn State players that were drafted, including a few that were picked up as Undrafted Free Agents.
#82 Tennessee Titans: Kevin Winston Jr., S
68 picks after the Colts took Tyler Warren, the Tennessee Titans took Kevin Winston Jr. Many experts saw Winston as a top 40-level player who fell due to injury. The Titans add Winston to a class that features #1 overall pick Cam Ward. For Winston, he enters a safety room that is average at best. Between Amani Hooker and Xavier Woods among others, the secondary was not the Titans strong suit. Winston profiles to be a backup currently as he continues to get more comfortable with himself after his ACL injury that saw him miss a majority of the 2024 season.
#187 Houston Texans: Jaylen Reed, S
Both Penn State safeties are headed down to the AFC South, in a division that features young and talented QBs. Reed profiles as a guy who will enter as one of the many bodies in the Texans’ secondary. Houston invested heavily in WRs in this class, which will create some fun battles for Reed in training camp. He has the lesser upside of the two safeties drafted from Penn State, but he can be a special-teams guy right away and make a name for himself.
#201 Minnesota Vikings: Kobe King, LB
One of the many game-wreckers in the front seven for Penn State this past year finds his way to the Minnesota Vikings. Over the past few years, the Vikings have turned high draft picks into stars on the defensive side. Just a few years ago, LB Ivan Pace Jr. was undrafted out of Cincinnati, and he has turned into a starter for the Vikings. Playing under Brian Flores’s defense will do wonders for King. The Vikings will love King’s raw athleticism, and he can find his way onto the field as an extra body that the Vikings will use in rotation.
Green Bay Packers: Julian Fleming, WR
For the first time since 2002, the Packers drafted a WR in the first round of the NFL Draft. And for the first time since 2024, they signed a UDFA WR, this year being Julian Fleming. Coming out of Southern Columbia as a 5-star recruit, Fleming had high expectations when he entered Ohio State. Those expectations were quickly diminished as Fleming was outshone by several high-level Ohio State WRs, so he transferred back home. Fleming was one of the main weapons at Penn State for Drew Allar in 2024 and had huge moments against USC and others. It will be tough for Fleming to make the 53-man roster, but the upside is there.
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