The SkinnyA former five-star prospect out of Baltimore’s McDonogh School, Dani Dennis-Sutton was part of the heralded 2022 recruiting class along with Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Drew Allar, and Abdul Carter. 247 rated him as the No. 1 prospect in Maryland and the No.7 defensive line prospect nationally.
Although limited in playing time as a freshman, Dani saw action in all 13 games of PSU’s 2022 season, and made his presence felt, as he garnered 17 total tackles three sacks, and an interception. He bumped those numbers up slightly in his sophomore season backing up Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac, putting up 26 tackles and 3.5 sacks, before becoming a starter across from Carter in 2024.
Although DDS showed flashes of his athleticism and disruptiveness during his first couple of years, it was during the 2024 season that he really became unleashed, racking up 42 tackles and 8.5 sacks, plus an incredible interception against Notre Dame in the CFP Semifinals that sadly, much like Saquon Barkley’s video-game style TD run against USC in the 2017 Rose Bowl, will go down as a memorable play from a heartbreaking loss.
Although he may not have totally lived up to sky-high expectations as “The Guy” at edge rusher coming back for his senior season in 2025, DDS still finished the season with the exact same 42 tackle/8.5 sack stat line as in 2024, racking up 6.5 of those sacks in the second half of the season when Terry Smith was running the show as interim head coach.
The NFL rates his prospect grade as a “Good Backup With Potential To Develop Into Starter” , as they praise his run-stopping abilities but malign his “limited pass-rush abilities” (DDS did have the tendency at times to run himself out of the play when pass-rushing). Still, a guy who has the size (nearly 6’6” and 256 pounds) and motor and never-say-die attitude is someone that I have a hard time seeing drop beyond Day 2 of the NFL Draft, as most mock drafts project him to be a late second/early third round pick. Whichever team grabs him is going to get someone they can mold like a lump of clay to fit in with their defensive philosophy, especially if paired with a stud defensive lineman already in place.