Penn State football stars stay silent on NFL Draft futures

Penn State football still has one more regular season game and a bowl matchup left to play in the 2023 season. But given that the Nittany Lions are out of Big Ten title and College Football Playoff contention, it’s only natural to start to turn an eye to 2024. This week, several of Penn State’s biggest stars, Chop Robinson and Tyler Warren, were asked if they’ve looked ahead and decided between entering the NFL Draft or returning to Happy Valley for another year. However, for both Warren and Robinson, the focus — at least publicly — is on Michigan State.

Penn State football stars Chop Robinson, Tyler Warren aren’t ready to talk about the future

Penn State football fell short of its goals of a Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff berth in 2023. But hope springs eternal, and expectations will undoubtedly be high again for the Nittany Lions heading into 2024.

The hype should at least merit some discussion. Penn State still has a core group of young playmakers, with more on the way in the 2024 recruiting class. But the Nittany Lions’ 2024 season expectations could earn a massive boost if several of its veteran stars decide to put off the NFL Draft and return to State College next fall.

Wrapping up the final home matchup of the year against Rutgers last weekend, it’s fair to wonder how many Nittany Lions we’ve seen play their final game in Beaver Stadium. This week, we spoke with DE Chop Robinson and TE Tyler Warren about their upcoming decisions. But, for now, the Penn State football stars preferred to forgo the NFL Draft talk in favor of Michigan State.

“I haven’t really sat down and really thought about it,” junior Chop Robinson said when asked about his future. “Because we still have one more game left. So, I’m focused on Michigan State, spending time with the guys, and then once the season is over, I’ll deal with that.”

Tyler Warren struck a similar tone when asked the same question.

“I think right now, we still got football to play, and I still got responsibilities here,” he expressed. “So, that’s something that I’ll look into after the season’s over. But right now, I’m really just focused on Michigan State and making sure the offense is doing as well as it can be.”

However, the redshirt junior Warren also expressed gratitude for participating in last weekend’s senior day festivities.

“I was glad I could be a part of it and help the senior class come out with a win, including myself,” Warren continued. “And just being able to be there with my family and have them out on the field after and take the picture and have something like that with me for the rest of my life was really special.”

2024 NFL Draft could be historic for Nittany Lions

There may not be much of a decision to make for Chop Robinson. A projected first-round Draft pick since the end of last season, the Penn State star EDGE rusher has the second-most sacks among Nittany Lions this season with four, despite missing two games with an injury. Even when he’s not on the stat sheet, Robinson has been destructive, speeding up the throws of opposing QBs all year.

The decision for Tyler Warren is much more interesting. A potential fringe Draft pick coming into the season, Warren has arguably had the best year of anyone on the Nittany Lions offense. Warren leads Penn State football with six receiving touchdowns, and is second on the roster with 273 receiving yards.

The 2024 NFL Draft could be historic for Penn State football. Given the Draft-eligible prospects on the Nittany Lions roster, Penn State has a chance to break the previous program record of 13 selected players, set in 1986.

But at the moment, it doesn’t appear like anyone is talking about the future. So, for now, all we can do is watch and wait.

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