DT John Penisini

Scouting Reports:

Utah Profile:  https://utahutes.com/sports/football/roster/john-penisini/9065

NFL.com:  https://www.nfl.com/prospects/john-penisini?id=32195045-4e23-3441-35d4-5a5a9a967537

Draft Network:  https://thedraftnetwork.com/player/john-penisini/v11umGnuLI

PFN (John Penisini, DT - Positives: Hard-working defensive tackle who gets the most from his ability. Displays tremendous first-step quickness, plays with great pad level and consistently gets leverage on opponents. Explosive, holds his ground against blocks and chases around the field to make plays. Relatively athletic, moves well laterally and possesses a closing burst.  Negatives: More of a first-step lineman who must beat opponents off the snap. Lacks height and gets engulfed by larger opponents. Average pass rusher.  Analysis: Penisini is a hard-working defensive lineman with average physical dimensions. His ability to hold the point against double-team blocks and his resiliency will get him late-round consideration for a team that runs a two-gap defense.):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/pac-12-scouting-reports-2020-nfl-draft/9/

Bleacherreport:  https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2883953-john-penisini-nfl-draft-2020-scouting-report-for-detroit-lions-pick

Rankings:

Overall:

2020 NFL Draft: Final PFF Top 250 Big Board (104. Penisini:  Penesini figures to be a chonk in the middle of any NFL defensive line. Need a run-stuffer in the mid to late rounds? He's your man):  https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2020-nfl-draft-final-pff-top-250-big-board

Tony Pauline’s 2020 NFL Draft Rankings (176. Penisini):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/2020-nfl-draft-prospects-rankings-scouting-reports-tony-pauline/

Draft rankings: Chris Trapasso Top 250 Big Board (207.  Penisini):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2020-nfl-draft-prospect-rankings-final-top-250-big-board-with-21-receivers-in-the-top-100/

ESPN (215. Penisini:  Penisini has above average size and strength with a low center of gravity. He flashes the ability to stack and shed blockers in time to make plays. He's a far better run defender than pass-rusher, though he flashes violent hands and the ability to push the pocket. -- Steve Muench):  https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft/rounds

THOR 500: NYSTROM'S BIG BOARD (245. Penisini):  https://www.rotoworld.com/article/rankings/thor-500-nystroms-big-board-0

Rotoworld Analytics Rankings (245. Penisini):  https://www.rotoworld.com/article/nfl-draft-preview/analytics-top-300-rankings-2020-nfl-draft?page=3

Draft Countdown (289. Penisini):  http://draftcountdown.com/2020-nfl-draft-rankings/2020-top-overall-rankings/

CBS (304. John Penisini):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospect-rankings/

Draft Tek (315. Penisini):  https://www.drafttek.com/2020-NFL-Draft-Big-Board/Top-NFL-Draft-Prospects-2020-Page-4.asp

Position:

PFF (9. DT Penisini:  This year’s draft class offers very little in the way of pure nose tackles. In fact, at the Combine, only three defensive linemen weighed in over 320 pounds and two of them were Derrick Brown and Javon Kinlaw. The other was Penisini’s teammate Leki Fotu, and while many have him as the top pure nose in the class, we prefer Penisini. The Utah product was just better on the football field last year — he earned a 90.6 run-defense grade for the Utes in 2019 and an 83.2 in 2018. He’s also got the squatty body type (6-foot-1, 318 pounds) you want against double teams while also having solid length (32 ⅞-inch arms). That’s a big fella built to stuff the run.):  https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2020-nfl-draft-position-rankings-interior-defenders

Tony Pauline’s 2020 NFL Draft Rankings (16. DT Penisini):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/2020-nfl-draft-prospects-rankings-scouting-reports-tony-pauline/

ESPN (17. DT Penisini):  https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft/rounds

Rotoworld Analytics Position Rankings (20. DT Penisini):  https://www.rotoworld.com/article/nfl-draft-preview/analytics-top-300-rankings-2020-nfl-draft?page=1

Thor's DT Rankings (22. Penisini (Comp: Youhanna Ghaifan):  https://www.rotoworld.com/article/evaluations/thors-interior-dl-rankings?page=1

Draft Countdown (23. DT Penisini):  http://draftcountdown.com/2020-nfl-draft-rankings/2020-defensive-tackle-rankings/

CBS (27.  DT Penisini):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospect-rankings/quarterbacks/defensive-linemen

Draft Tek (11.  NT Penisini):  https://www.drafttek.com/2020-NFL-Draft-Position-Rankings/Top-College-Nose-Tackles-2020-NFL-Draft.asp

Articles:

Who is John Penisini? Utah defensive tackle no longer overlooked (4-23-20):  https://www.deseret.com/platform/amp/sports/2020/4/23/21231607/who-is-john-penisini-utah-football-defensive-tackle-nfl-draft

2020 NFL Draft: Identifying five low-risk, high-reward draft prospects (UTAH DEFENSIVE TACKLE JOHN PENISINI — EARLY-DOWN RUN-STUFFER:  This value play has more to do with what a team can do with their early picks rather than what Penisini brings to the table.  An early-down run-stuffer is becoming less valuable by the year, but strong run defenders still have a place in the NFL. The key is not to spend big money or high draft capital to find them, and Penisini is a perfect Day 3 option to fill a very specific run-stuffing role.  Penisini has a nose-tackle build and is tough to move at the point of attack, all of which led to a 90.6 grade against the run over the last two seasons. There are plenty of examples of quality run-stoppers who were taken in the middle to late rounds over the last few seasons, including Poona Ford, Greg Gaines and Michael Pierce. So, waiting on a player like Penisini will keep a team from drafting a one-dimensional interior defensive lineman in the early rounds, allowing them to focus on more valuable, pass-game affecting positions. Now that’s value.) (4-21-20):  https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2020-nfl-draft-identifying-five-low-risk-high-reward-draft-prospects

Utah's John Penisini 'always wanted to wear the red'; now has eyes set on NFL career (4-13-20):  https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaafb/utahs-john-penisini-always-wanted-to-wear-the-red-now-has-eyes-set-on-nfl-career/ar-BB12zRfH

Local talent projections for the upcoming NFL draft (Free Agents - John Penisini, DL (Utah):  Penisini caught scout’s eyes with his hand placement and booming power at the nose guard position. Most projections show him as being a high free agency signing, which would put another Kyle Whittingham defensive lineman in the NFL.) (4-10-20):  https://www.ksl.com/article/46740099/local-talent-projections-for-the-upcoming-nfl-draft

Former Utah DT John Penisini Records Impressive Bench Press At NFL Combine (3-1-20):  https://kslsports.com/429447/former-utah-dt-john-penisini-records-impressive-bench-press-at-nfl-combine/

2020 NFL Combine: Defensive Tackle Prospects, Invites, What To Watch For (24. John Penisini, Utah 6-2, 333 (Free Agent)
NFL Combine What Matters: A big anchor type who could sit in the middle of the line and gum things up, does he have the athleticism or traits to be a late round flier?) (2-9-20):  https://collegefootballnews.com/2020/02/2020-nfl-combine-defensive-tackle-prospects-invites-what-to-watch-for

What we learned at the Senior Bowl (Four Utah defensive players were at the Senior Bowl. When polled which teammate they'd bring with them to the NFL, defensive tackle Leki Fotu was the unanimous choice: "Leki Fotu can eat up the blockers and free stuff up for the edge guys," said edge rusher Bradlee Anae.  Who did Fotu select? "I'm bringing John Penisini, my best friend, the chemistry we have. If you watch the tape, the way that we play is pretty similar. The only thing that's different is the way we look. He killed it down at the Shrine Bowl. He's a really talented guy. He's very strong. That's what some people misevaluate when they see him because of his body type, but put someone against him and then you'll see the type of player he is.") (1-29-20):  https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/what-we-learned-at-the-senior-bowl

East-West Shrine Game Observations: Who shined at the Shrine? (Kyle Murphy (G, Rhode Island) and John Penisini (DT, Utah) had a nice battle upfront. Really got after it both showed good hands, aggression and took pride in winning a rep against one another.) (1-20-20):  https://www.nfldraftdiamonds.com/2020/01/east-west-shrine-game/

East-West Shrine Bowl: 13 players who might be interesting Philadelphia Eagles prospects (John Penisini, DT, Utah:  A tip of the hat goes to The Athletic’s Bo Wulf for putting Penisini on my radar. The 6-foot-1, 324-pound Penisini had 14 tackles for loss and four sacks over the past two seasons on a talented Utah defensive line. He’s another player that could showcase the full range of his ability as he moves out from that shadow. He seems like he could be a solid depth piece.) (1-18-20):  https://www.pennlive.com/philadelphiaeagles/2020/01/east-west-shrine-bowl-13-players-who-might-be-interesting-philadelphia-eagles-prospects.html

College Football: 2019 PFF All-Pac-12 Team (First Team: John Penisini, Utah - Penisini is Utah’s best run-stuffer up the middle, posting the highest run-defense in the conference at an elite 91.0. One reason for his outstanding grade as a run defender is his two forced fumbles, both of which occurred while defending against the run. He has also added 13 quarterback pressures to his season’s resume, including two sacks and one quarterback hit.) (12-2-19):  https://www.pff.com/news/college-football-2019-pff-all-pac-12-team

East-West Shrine Game Practice Report: West Team (Day 3) (Front seven on defense continued its impressive work - From the defensive line Bravvion Roy was more flashy than steady today as was Khalil Davis.
John Penisini had a number of nice plays and scouts came away very impressed with his entire week of work. They like his intensity, the strength of his base and the way he anchors. The bottom line on Penisini for the scouts I spoke with is that they believe he’s NFL ready but has limited upside and is a get what you see type of prospect.) (1-15-20):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/east-west-shrine-game-practice-report-west-team-day-3/

Live from the East-West Shrine Game: Practice Day Three (Utah’s John Penisini has looked good. A lot of scouts have praised Penisini this week.) (1-15-20):  https://www.profootballnetwork.com/live-from-the-east-west-shrine-game-practice-day-three/

College Football Week 10 Eckrich Pac 12 Team of the Week (John Penisini, Utah:  Utah allowed just 53 total yards rushing to Washington, and their front seven was a pivotal reason as to why. Penisini recorded the best run-defense grade out of all defensive interior players in the conference, nabbing five defensive stops and a key forced fumble late in the first quarter on a Jacob Eason scramble.) (11-4-19):  https://www.pff.com/news/college-football-week-10-eckrich-pac-12-team-of-the-week

College Football Week 5: Eckrich Pac-12 Team of the Week (John Penisini, Utah:  Utah was excellent against the run, as was Pensini who contributed a defensive stop and took on multiple blockers up the middle. He also added a sack and two QB hurries on 22 pass-rush snaps, forcing the offensive line to pay attention to where he lined up.) (9-30-19):  https://www.pff.com/news/college-football-week-5-eckrich-pac-12-team-of-the-week