Why some Penn State NFL draft hopefuls are playing in Saturday’s Peach Bowl

ATLANTA — Before the season started, the six Penn State football players named captains for the 2023 team met in coach James Franklin’s office.

Among the topics ...

“We looked him in the eye and said we’re going to finish the season, whatever it looks like, whether we’re in the national championship or playing in the Mayo Bowl,” fourth-year tight end Theo Johnson said.

“As a man, I gave him my word, and I was going to uphold that. So that’s what I’m going to do.”

That’s why, Johnson said, he will play Saturday, when No. 10 Penn State meets No. 11 Ole Miss in a matchup of 10-2 teams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Johnson announced his intention to enter the NFL draft earlier this month. He is widely considered to be a top-10 tight end prospect in the draft and is among a handful of Nittany Lions players who will go pro after this season.

Most of them will play in Saturday’s Peach Bowl, others may not. The reasons vary.

In the era of the transfer portal and early NFL declaration, it can be hard to keep track of who’s playing for whom. Penn State’s opt-out list won’t be long.

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“I like playing football,” offensive tackle Caedan Wallace said. “If there’s a field and a stadium, especially the one that’s over there, I’m going to play.”

Unlike some of his peers, Wallace is not considered to be a top draft prospect. On the other side of the offensive line, though, star tackle Olu Fashanu is a projected top-10 pick. Fashanu made the obvious official when he declared his draft intentions last week, but he has not yet indicated if he’ll play Saturday. Fashanu did, however, practice Tuesday in Atlanta.

If Fashanu doesn’t play, he’d join Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson as projected first-round picks sitting out the season finale.

The Nittany Lions could have a third first-round pick in Kalen King. The junior cornerback, like Fashanu, practiced with the team Tuesday and is expected to play in a limited role Saturday.

Franklin said he had conversations with King and his family and came up with a plan “that everybody was comfortable with.”

It’s unlikely any of Penn State’s draft prospects play the entire game. There are certain plays, Johnson said, “that I’ve done all year that the coaching staff feel more comfortable with me doing than some of the other guys.” But Johnson also said he was going to make sure he wasn’t “putting myself in a vulnerable position.”

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To reach his decision, Johnson said he started with tight ends coach Ty Howle, who currently is the interim co-offensive coordinator. From there, he talked with his family and Franklin.

“These are different times in college football, and we’ve worked really hard to create a relationship with our players that there can be open and honest dialogue and discussions,” Franklin said. “We’ve tried to create an environment where really there’s no reason for any player to opt out. What I mean by that is all the way back to Saquon Barkley, who was being projected as a top-15 pick, there’s a way to do this where the player, the family, the agents, whoever, everybody’s comfortable with the plan.”

As Barkley showed by playing in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl as a top prospect, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to playing or not playing in what essentially is a meaningless football game for some NFL draft prospects.

For those whose position on draft boards is less set, performing well and putting out one last good set of game film could be a net positive.

Look no further than last year’s Rose Bowl game for proof. It’s possible that quarterback Sean Clifford would have been drafted anyway, but his 16-for-21, 279-yard throwing effort (with two touchdowns) had to have left a good impression on a Packers team that drafted him in the fifth round.

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“I don’t really know how much playing is going to really help me or hurt me,” Johnson said.

“I’ve kind of bled and cried and done a lot of things with this team. I just want one more opportunity with those guys, and that’s why I’m playing in the game.”