Nicholas
Singleton.
Nicholas
Singleton.
Penn State· 6'0"· 219 lb
R5 · #165 · Tennessee Titans"Long-striding zone bell-cow with home-run juice and Penn State's career TD record, but a Senior Bowl foot break wiped out testing and pushed a first-team All-Big Ten runner into Day 3."Pre-draft read
This downhill, one-cut zone runner showcases vision on frontside cutbacks and long-strider acceleration. He runs tall with quiet feet, consistently capitalizing on available yardage in outside zone schemes. Through the line, his stride pattern closes angles, separating him from pursuing linebackers and safeties in the open field.
His balance through contact is above average for his size, often bouncing off initial defenders to gain extra yards. While a willing pass protector, his angle recognition can be inconsistent. As a receiver, he's a soft-handed check-down option, functional rather than dynamic. He's not an elusive, ankle-breaking runner, exhibiting tight hips in confined spaces, leading to occasional hesitation behind the line. He also has a history as a track-star kick returner.
This is a run-heavy RPO offense with West Coast passing concepts from inside and out, using 12 personnel often in order to create advantageous matchups in both the run and pass game.
Singleton could carve out a Year 1 role as a rotational tone-setter in a downhill zone scheme, offering home-run ability and special teams value, with the ceiling to develop into a three-down grinder.
He would be a poor fit for a gap power scheme that asks him to make multiple cuts behind the line of scrimmage, as his tight hips would be exposed in situations where the initial read is not clear.
Singleton's downhill running style, vision, and contact balance make him an ideal fit for a zone-heavy run scheme, where his ability to press the line and make quick, decisive cutbacks can be maximized, and his kick return skills offer immediate special teams value.
Nick Singleton | 2024 Highlights
Game film cut-up of Nicholas Singleton's Penn State tape.
Freshman Star 🌟 Nick Singleton 2022 Penn State Highlights 🦁 |
Game film cut-up of Nicholas Singleton's Penn State tape.
Penn State vs Oregon | Nicholas Singleton NFL Draft Film
Game film cut-up of Nicholas Singleton's Penn State tape.
Nicholas Singleton projects as a rotational, early-down running back with a clear role as a physical complement within a zone-blocking scheme. His vision, one-cut ability, and consistent contact balance make him a reliable back for gaining tough yardage. While his burst was evident on tape, the absence of verified athletic testing due to injury created pre-draft uncertainty regarding his top-end speed.
Over four seasons with Penn State, Singleton developed into a workhorse, leaving as the program's all-time touchdown leader with 55 scores. He was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection, demonstrating consistent production within a two-back committee. His usage included significant carries in both outside and inside zone concepts, reflecting his versatility. He also displayed a kick-return dimension, including a 100-yard touchdown as a freshman.
Evaluators noted his impressive college production and tape-based burst, but concerns arose from a late-career foot fracture that prevented combine and pro day testing, leaving only an unofficial athletic grade. His tight hips in traffic and a career spent splitting carries also factored into his projection. Consensus positioned him as a Day 3 selection, eventually landing at pick 165 where a team targeted his specific skill set to round out their backfield.
- 01
Production
— Penn State all-time leading touchdown scorer, with 55 touchdowns over four seasons.
- 02
Vision & Patience
— Showcases vision on frontside cutbacks, consistently capitalizing on available yardage in outside zone schemes.
- 03
Downhill Runner
— Long-strider acceleration separates him from pursuing linebackers and safeties in the open field.
- 04
Contact Balance
— Above average balance through contact, often bouncing off initial defenders to gain extra yards.
- 05
Kick Returner
— Established kick-returner profile with a 100-yard touchdown as a freshman.
- 01
Lack of Testing
— Absence of verified athletic testing due to injury created pre-draft uncertainty regarding top-end speed.
- 02
Lateral Agility
— Exhibits tight hips in confined spaces, leading to occasional hesitation behind the line.
- 03
Receiving Threat
— A soft-handed check-down option, functional rather than a dynamic receiver.
- 04
Pass Protection
— While a willing pass protector, his angle recognition can be inconsistent.
| Yr | Team | G | Att | Yds | TD | Rec | RecYds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Penn State | 13 | 155 | 1052 | 12 | 11 | 85 |
| 2023 | Penn State | 13 | 171 | 752 | 8 | 26 | 308 |
| 2024 | Penn State | 15 | 172 | 1099 | 12 | 41 | 375 |
| 2025 | Penn State | 12 | 123 | 549 | 13 | 24 | 219 |
| Career | — | 53 | 621 | 3452 | 45 | 102 | 987 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
- Drew AllarQB21%
- Ethan GrunkemeyerQB12%
- Kaytron AllenRB9%
#10 of 14 tracked contributors · Production leaned on volume · Offense explosiveness 1.20 (p26) · CFBD — usage x PPA per tracked player
Day 2/3 two-back committee runner who slots in as the physical complement in a rotation and earns third-down snaps over time.
Similar 5.6-YPC downhill zone bell-cow who wins with vision and contact balance more than shake, with return-game bonus early.
Long-strider college producer whose lack of verified testing and passing-down limitations cap him as a special-teams RB4.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context — Singleton arrived at Penn State as the No. 1 running back in the 2022 class (Gatorade National Player of the Year at Gov. Mifflin) and was productive from day one: 1,061 rushing yards, 6.8 YPC and a 100-yard kick-return TD as a true freshman en route to Freshman All-American honors. He and Kaytron Allen formed a four-year committee that helped Penn State's 2024 team reach the CFP semifinal, with Singleton putting up 1,099 rushing yards and 17 total TDs and closing the Fiesta Bowl with a 58-yard dagger vs. Ashton Jeanty and Boise State. He returned for 2025, broke Penn State's career touchdown record on an 11-yard run at Rutgers, then broke his foot at the Senior Bowl, wiping out Combine and Pro Day testing.
NFL fit — Tennessee Titans — A drafting organization selected Singleton at 165 to be the physical zone complement to Tony Pollard, with Tyjae Spears working back from injury. The Titans line is a work in progress but the scheme (an outside-zone/gap combo) fits Singleton's downhill one-cut skill set cleanly. Rookie-year role projects as a two-down early-down runner with short-yardage/goal-line work and immediate kick-return duty; if Pollard misses time he has the frame (219, ran through contact all four years at Penn State) to hold up as a lead back for a stretch. The foot needs to check out clean by camp for that ceiling to be reachable.
Retrospective — The evaluation on Singleton was that the burst, vision and production were all Day 2 traits, but the missing testing plus tight hips in tight quarters and a career spent in a two-back committee kept him from separating from the pack. Landing at 165 to a team that needs a physical runner behind Pollard is a fair spot to bet on his floor — special teams contributor and rotational RB — with real upside if the athletic testing that never happened would have confirmed what the tape suggested.