Arguably the most underrated player on the team, safety Zakee Wheatley was a consistent presence in Penn State’s defensive backfield for years.
After earning the starting job in 2024, Wheatley totaled 95 tackles, three interceptions, a sack and a forced fumble, capping the season by playing a pivotal role in the team’s College Football Playoff run.
Despite the possibility of getting drafted, he returned to Penn State in 2025 and posted another productive campaign with 74 tackles and an interception. Though Wheatley’s numbers dipped slightly, partly due to playing 13 games as opposed to 16, he remained one of the key pieces on the unit, earning the highest PFF grade among Nittany Lion defenders.
Throughout a five-year career, Wheatley totaled 222 tackles with six pass breakups, six interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles. He finished with double-digit tackles in five games, including a career-high 16 stops against Notre Dame in an Orange Bowl loss.
In addition to his elite tackling abilities (just 11 missed tackles in 2025, per PFF), he’s viewed as a playmaker and was crowned the “Takeaway King” for the Nittany Lions.
Wheatley is a virtual lock to be drafted and will be watching with his family in Maryland to see when his name is called. He’s already heard from all 32 teams and was able to get exposure at the Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine.
“I’m satisfied. I put it all on the line,” Wheatley said. “I trained a lot for this. You know, I’ve been doing this since I was 5 years old and been training hard for the last few months.”
At Penn State’s Pro Day, Wheatley said he has top-30 visits scheduled with the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots, but he’s “not gonna spill all the beans.”
Pro Day results
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 202 pounds
Vertical jump: 33 inches
Broad jump: 10-foot-4
40-yard dash: 4.62 seconds
Pro shuttle: 4.11 seconds
Three-cone drill: 6.89 seconds
Draft projection: Round 3
PREVIOUS NFL DRAFT PROFILES
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