Penn State football center Nick Dawkins has declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, he announced on Sunday. He did not play in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl.

The team captain has started every game of the last two seasons at center for Penn State and has appeared in 54 games overall. Dawkins could have declared for the NFL Draft following the 2024 season, but chose to return to the program for one more year.

The Allentown, Pennsylvania, native allowed just two sacks in 2024 and won the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy for his exemplary community service and on and off-field leadership.

Dawkins served as one of the Nittany Lions’ most vocal leaders after a disastrous 3-3 start in 2025 that resulted in James Franklin’s firing. He opened up about his personal and team-wide guilt following the move, but reinforced the locker room with positivity to lead Penn State on a three-game win streak to end the season.

Dawkins is the fifth Nittany Lion to declare for the draft, joining Zakee Wheatley, Vega Ioane, Zane Durant, and Drew Shelton.

About the Author

Oscar Orellana

Oscar is a third-year broadcast journalism student from Los Angeles. He's probably at the movies. He mostly writes about Penn State football. Email him at oscar@onwardstate.com.

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