ALTOONA, Pa. -- Trying to rank players on a college team always presents an interesting challenge, primarily because of this question: What exactly are you ranking?
Is it the best football player right now, today? Or the guy who will be the best NFL player?
Is it the the guy who is most important to the team and can impact a game in a number of ways? Or the guy who will put up the most stats?
Doesn't the quarterback have to be ranked highly, simply because he plays the most important position?
The correct answer, from my perspective, is that all of those things above have to be factored into the rankings. The tough part, though, is deciding how much weight to put into each element, and I'll expand on what I mean in the rankings below.
After examining the roster thoroughly, looking at current and future potential, here are my rankings of the top 10 Penn State players entering the season.
1. DT PJ MUSTIPHER
This pick may feel like a reach to some, and I'm fine with that. As mentioned above, trying to find the precise criteria for these rankings is difficult, and I'll admit that putting a defensive tackle at No. 1 on this kind of list can be questioned.
There's no doubt that Sean Clifford getting hurt at Iowa changed Penn State's 2021 season in a huge way. But, the same can be said for Mustipher, an excellent run stuffer and strong defensive presence who went down with a season-ending leg injury that day against the Hawkeyes.
Mustipher was the heart and soul of the Penn State defense a year ago, and losing him hurt. Badly. The Lions still had stars in end Arnold Ebiketie and safety Jaquan Brisker, but Mustipher commanded so much attention on the line that losing him made the entire defense much more vulnerable.
There was great rejoicing last week in Indianapolis about Mustipher passing his conditioning test, because there has been a question about whether or not he'd be fully healthy this season. If he is fully healthy, he can change games in big ways, not only by making plays himself, but by forcing opposing coaches to have to game plan differently.
Mustipher also should be a good NFL player, and if he has a big season, he could go as high as the second round of next year's draft.
2. CB JOEY PORTER JR.
OK, OK, I'm fully aware that Porter has the most potential of anybody on the defense. He's projected to be a first-round draft pick and could end up being an NFL star.
So, why isn't he No. 1 on this list, as he has been for others who have done Penn State top 10s?
Well, because I still need to see Porter actually live up to his potential in a Penn State uniform. He has a chance to be special, and perhaps he will be this season as the team's shutdown corner.
But, in all honesty, Porter played poorly the second half of last season. He was not in good coverage position on a number of big plays, leading to either gains or him committing a penalty. I expect a shutdown corner to do just that -- shut people down -- rather than hit them early for pass interference or holding penalties.
Still, I do expect Porter to learn from last year's mistakes and to make big strides this season. I just couldn't bring myself to rank him No. 1, however, even if he does have a higher ceiling than Mustipher.
3. WR PARKER WASHINGTON
OK, the rankings start to get a little easier now, since I don't necessarily have to justify things as much as with Mustipher over Porter.
Washington is a no-brainer to have high on the list. He's my pick as the best player on the offense, and he has a chance to put up huge numbers this season.
He caught 64 passes for 840 yards and four TDs last season as the No. 2 receiver behind Jahan Dotson. Now, Washington will be the top dog at the wideout spot, and while that will come with more attention from defenders and more pressure, he's good enough to still get the job done at a very high level.
4. QB SEAN CLIFFORD
Yes, he's been an average college quarterback. But he's still a vital part of the offense and someone capable of putting up good numbers as long as he gets some help in the running game.
I do not believe Clifford can have a Kenny Pickett-type of senior season. And yes, I can see him struggling at times, as he has throughout his career. But so much of the team's success will revolve around him, and as a fourth-year starter, it would be foolish to have him any lower than this on a top 10 ranking.
5. S JI'AYIR BROWN
His six interceptions last season tied for the national lead. I shouldn't really have to say much more about him than that. But if you want to read more, I did write this last week about Brown's inspiring path to Penn State and his success.
6. WR MITCHELL TINSLEY
I can't wait to see this guy play. The transfer put up awesome numbers last year in Western Kentucky's video game offense, and I want to see how his skills translate to the better competition of the Big Ten.
Tinsley caught 87 passes for 1,402 yards and 14 TDs for Western Kentucky, whose QB, Bailey Zappe, passed for an unbelievable 5,967 yards and 62 TDs, both NCAA single-season records. The New England Patriots selected Zappe in the fourth round this year.
Now, Clifford is not Zappe. And Penn State won't do anything close to what Western Kentucky did from an all-out aerial standpoint. So, it will be interesting to see if Tinsley can get open and put up great numbers in a different system.
Still, Mike Yurcich does want to throw the ball a ton, so there will be lots of opportunities for Tinsley to emerge as a standout. Given that he's already used to being such a prolific target, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Tinsley could have an even better season than Washington.
That's a pretty bold prediction, I know. We'll see how it plays out.
7. LB CURTIS JACOBS
He's a good college linebacker, not a great one. We've been spoiled by so many phenomenal Penn State linebackers over the years, and this team does not have one of those.
Jacobs is just a sophomore, though, and he has a chance to get better and better and better. He could be an outstanding college linebacker by the end of his career.
8. RB KEYVONE LEE
There are Penn State fans who feel like he's "just another guy" at running back. I know that for a fact, since I've seen it several times in comments on this site.
I have never believed Lee was "just another guy." He averaged 4.9 yards per carry as a true freshman in 2020, and he averaged 4.9 yards per carry last season. That's 4.9 yards per carry behind a terrible offensive line a year ago, and that's nothing to gloss over.
Sure, Nick Singleton is the star freshman, and another freshman, Kaytron Allen, should get opportunities. We also cannot overlook Devyn Ford or Caziah Holmes.
But for right now, Lee has played a lot for two years and gives the Lions a quality tailback to open the season.
9. LB JONATHAN SUTHERLAND
A versatile leader who can always be relied upon to make the right play, the smart play and help the defense. He will have to step up in a big way this year taking over a starting linebacker role, and while he may not be a star, he can be counted on to do his job in a productive way.
10. C JUICE SCRUGGS
He will be counted on to be the leader of the offensive line. So any hope the unit has of succeeding will begin with the guy snapping the ball.
Scruggs started all 13 games last season, so he gained valuable experience.
Can I honestly sit here and confidently predict that any part of the offensive line will be a strength of the team? No.
But I wanted to at least include one O-lineman on this list to provide some hope, and to start the season, Scruggs deserves to be the guy listed.
THE OTHER GUYS
A number of other players were considered for my rankings, and very well could be in the top 10 as the season plays out. Some of the ones considered were: TE Brenton Strange, TE Theo Johnson, RT Caedan Wallace, DE Chop Robinson, CB Kalen King.
CAMP UPDATE
Well, no news is good news, right?
Penn State doesn't open up daily practices to the media, so it's tough to know exactly what's going on every day in camp. But usually, if there's an injury or any other huge news, word leaks out somewhere about it.
We haven't heard anything like that this week.
The Lions will hold media day Saturday, so James Franklin, the assistant coaches and players can give us camp updates and share their thoughts on the upcoming season.
