Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Dennis-Sutton was a five-star recruit from McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Md. in the class of 2022

Dani Dennis-Sutton is the second option in a deep Penn State pass rush rotation. The junior has high hopes of being a top 100 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he needs to become a more diverse pass rusher to secure a lofty pick.

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Dani Dennis-Sutton, Edge Penn State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior defensive end from Millsboro, Del.

Background: Dennis-Sutton was a five-star recruit from McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Md. in the class of 2022. He was the No. 29 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 7 for Rivals, and No. 19 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 80th in the nation with an 85 grade out of 100 (four-star). Dennis-Sutton lettered four times in high school and was a team captain twice. The pandemic cost him his junior season, but he totaled 40 tackles, six sacks, and two forced fumbles as a sophomore. Dennis-Sutton was invited to the All-American Bowl and the Polynesian Bowl. He also lettered in basketball.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed part of his high school senior season with a dislocated elbow

Awards: 2022 True Freshman All-American (ESPN), 2023 Third Team All-Big Ten (Coaches), 2023 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (Media)

Pros: Arm length appears to meet thresholds, keeps a low pad level through contact as a rusher, relentless leg drive, uses long-arm to pry open B-gap, firm hand placement to set up bull rush, two-armed bull rush, multiple power rush wins vs. Maryland (2023), swim move, inside swim, club-swim, rip move, club-rip, swipe-rip, spin move, long-arm move, fakes a long-arm move to draw the OT forward before using a rip move, very quick hands, two-handed swipes, straight line speed to run down QBs like J.J. McCarthy (2023), multiple wins in the run game vs. Josh Simmons (2023), too powerful for tight ends to block in the run game, base helps him anchor and set a hard edge on outside runs, slips blocks in the run game when the tackle’s momentum is going forward, used swim to shed Cade Stover and make a run stop (2023), enough speed to threaten plays as a backside run defender, motor runs hot in pursuit, experience bailing to cover the flat, sniffs out potential screens

Cons: Penalized five times in 2023, minimal special teams experience, lean despite listed weight, first step explosiveness is average, heavy reliance on power rush plan, bull rush stalled vs. Ohio State’s tackles consistently (2023), long-arm move doesn’t generate consistent movement, doesn’t have high-end bend to flatten rush angle, hands trapped and neutralized by Cade Stover (2023) during pass rush, elongated strides to exchange gaps is slow and awkward, inconsistent separating from blocks for pursuit in run game, too quick to crash inside and surrender the edge, driven down the line by down blocks, bites wrong on RPOs, limited awareness in coverage

Overview: Dennis-Sutton primarily lines up as a 5-tech in two and three-point stances with some limited snaps as a wide-9, 4-tech, and 3-tech. He has minimal special teams experience. Dennis-Sutton’s arm length appears to meet standard thresholds for edge rushers, but his frame is surprisingly lean when held up against his unofficial listed weight. His first step is average, and he doesn’t have the high-end bend to flatten his rush angle to the quarterback consistently. There’s some bend to his game but nowhere near enough to cross the elite threshold. Dennis-Sutton heavily relies on his power rush plan. He keeps his pad level low going into contact and uses his relentless leg drive to move offensive linemen. The Delaware native’s pass rush arsenal includes two-armed bull rushes, swims, rips, club-swims, club-rips, swipe-rips, spins, and long-arm moves. He’ll even fake long-arm moves to draw the offensive lineman forward before quickly transitioning into a rip move. Dennis-Sutton uses long-arm moves to pry open the B-gap. His hand usage plays a massive role in his success when his technique is right. His hand placement empowers his bull rush, and his quick hands allow for violent two-handed swipes. The junior has enough open field speed to run down quarterbacks like J.J. McCarthy. Unfortunately, his bull rush stalls out against offensive tackles who match his power, and his long-arm move doesn’t generate consistent displacement. His hands aren’t immune to being trapped and neutralized by well-prepared or savvy blockers. Dennis-Sutton doesn’t have top-shelf agility or explosiveness. His attempts to exchange gaps are slow enough for linemen to mirror easily. The former five-star recruit is too powerful for tight ends to block in the run game. His powerful base allows him to anchor and set a hard edge on outside runs. He uses swim counters on run blocks and takes advantage of offensive tackles’ forward momentum to slip their blocks. His motor flashes in pursuit, and he’ll fire down the back of the offensive line to make plays as a backside run defender. Dennis-Sutton is inconsistent at separating from blocks and gets stuck until after the ball carrier passes his gap. He’s too quick to flow down the line and bite on RPOs, which surrenders the edge. Dennis-Sutton has experience bailing to cover the flat but doesn’t have ideal awareness in coverage.

Overall, Dennis-Sutton is a powerful 3-4 outside linebacker who already has a strong set of basic pass rush moves and counters. His lack of elite agility and burst likely put a cap on his projection to the NFL until he proves his power is enough of an ace to cover for his shortcomings in other areas. Many of Dennis-Sutton’s technical flaws and mistakes can be easily corrected with coaching and experience.

Role & Scheme Fit: Outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme

Round Grade: Third Round

Size: 6'5", 270 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 07-07-24