Penn State Sports Magazine
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2 4 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M At 201 pounds, his 4.48-second 40- yard dash and 4.10 pro shuttle time offer insight into Sutherland's speed. What's more, for his size, the testing numbers listed above firmly establish him as one of the team's most explosive athletes. And he's shown that ability through- out his Penn State career. "Those are phenomenal numbers. That is really good," Galt said. "His best index is 724. He's hit over 700 on his in- dex in six test periods [during his four years at Penn State], so he's been very consistent. He's done a great job. Those are excellent numbers." 4) Rasheed Walker LT | 6-6 | 320 Vertical: 28 inches Broad: 8 feet, 7 inches 40-yard dash: 5.01 sec- onds Shuttle: 4.66 seconds Clean: 350 pounds Bench: 400 pounds Squat: 580 pounds Strength Index: 661 Like tight end Brenton Strange, Walker has improved dramatically since he joined the Penn State program. Notching a 556 on the strength index upon his ar- rival, the redshirt junior from Waldorf, Md., is now in that "elite strength-speed ath- lete" tier with a strength index number of 661. Coming off a third-team All-Big Ten performance in 2020, he is anchoring the Nittany Lions' offensive front from his left tackle spot this season and has set himself up for a likely high-round draft selection next spring. "He's done a tremendous job," Galt said, pointing out Walker's strength gains. "He's done a great job in a weight room. He cleans 350, benches 400 and squats 580. He's done a great job in there. "You'll get 100-plus gains [in the in- dex] at times, but it's a lot, so that's a good improvement. I'm proud of his pro- gression." 5) Brenton Strange TE | 6-3 | 250 Vertical: 33.5 inches Broad: 10 feet, 1 inch 40-yard dash: 4.64 seconds Shuttle: 4.32 seconds Clean: 340 pounds Bench: 390 pounds Squat: 550 pounds Strength Index: 682 The Nittany Lions' third-year tight end might not win any of the combine events when his shot at the NFL even- tually arrives. But the redshirt sopho- more has made an astonishing transfor- mation since his arrival at Penn State, warranting his inclusion here. Weighing 217 pounds when he en- rolled in 2019, Strange began as an un- dersized receiver with limited strength and conditioning experience through his high school career at Parkersburg High in West Virginia. Since then, his work in the weight room has turned him into a prototypical tight end with excellent testing numbers. Particularly noteworthy is his 10-foot, 1-inch broad jump. "He's improved tremendously," Galt said. "I'm proud of him. Especially for a third-year guy, he's done one heck of a job." ■ Penn State's Fastest, Strongest, Most Reactive In addition to ranking the team's top five freak athletes, Dwight Galt also indulged our curiosity from a categorical perspective this season. Presented here, Galt reveals the leaders at Penn State for speed, strength, reactiveness and hand-eye reflexes. Fastest player, period: Fifth-year senior safety Drew Hartlaub. Strongest guy: Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Fatorma Mulbah. "He's got a gigantic squat," Galt said. Best reactiveness: Redshirt sophomore cornerback Joey Porter Jr. "He sticks his foot in the ground and he's tough," Galt said. "He reacts and he's got real good explosion and speed to kind of catch up." Best hand-eye coordination: Senior receiver Jahan Dotson. "His hands and his reactiveness are just in- credible. And you can really tell," Galt said. "He's a tremendous football player, beyond what we've seen. He's the deal, man." — Nate Bauer Redshirt sophomore tight end Brenton Strange has added more than 30 pounds since coming to Penn State as a 217-pound prospect out of Parkersburg, W.Va. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS Since arriving in 2018, redshirt junior offensive tackle Rasheed Walker has improved by more than 100 points in Penn State's strength index. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS