#PSU EDGE Dani Dennis-Sutton picked right up where he left off in the CFP last year. Explosive first step, disruptive as a run defender and pass rusher. Had 2 forced fumbles and active with a couple of other pressures along with a sack. pic.twitter.com/S6a5TrhtmZ

— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) August 31, 2025

Three Kansas City Chiefs defensive ends amassed a dozen pressures or more through the team’s first ten games. All three are at least 260 pounds. The Chiefs aim for a specific body type and play style when selecting defensive ends in the NFL draft. The 2026 class features many smaller rotational players, but several prospects possess the traits Kansas City desires.

Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton is unofficially listed at 6’5″, 265 lbs. His size and arm length meet both Kansas City’s and the NFL’s thresholds. Penn State primarily deploys him as a hand-in-the-dirt 5-tech but also gives him reps reduced inside as a 4-tech or 4i and opportunities as a standup wide-9.  

Dennis-Sutton just authored the best game of his season (and maybe his whole career) last week against Michigan State. He blocked a punt and applied 12 pressures on just 23 rush attempts, meaning he influenced the quarterback on an astonishing 52.2% of his rushes. For context, anything over 20% is generally considered an elite performance.

Dennis-Sutton’s size causes him to lack an explosive first step and the bend to consistently threaten the offensive tackle’s outside shoulder. He deploys a wide array of rush moves to compensate for this lack of athletic ability, including club-swims, long-arms, spins, swipe-rips and classic two-armed bull rushes.

Dennis-Sutton’s lack of bend forces him to attack the B-gap frequently. His spins and swims are the most effective in this area, but his spin is even more impactful when he reduces inside and rushes against a guard. Dennis-Sutton diligently works a rip into almost all of his outside rushes. Deploying him from wide alignments on occasion mitigates issues with his bend and keeps the offensive tackle honest.

Dennis-Sutton is a naturally powerful defensive end capable of pushing the pocket and occasionally folding offensive tackles with his heavy hands. This power also translates to the run game. Dennis-Sutton is a stout edge-setter capable of anchoring at the point of attack or resetting the line of scrimmage to disrupt the play.

Dennis-Sutton’s path to improvement in the run game begins with developing more hand counters to quickly separate from blocks. He needs to be more disciplined about maintaining his gap, instead of biting down on RPOs or trying to disrupt the mesh point.

Penn State welcomes Nebraska to Happy Valley on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 6 p.m. CT before finishing the regular season against Rutgers. If the Nittany Lions win out, they become eligible to play in a bowl game. However, it seems unlikely senior prospects like Dennis-Sutton, defensive tackle Zane Durant and safety Zakee Wheatley will participate in bowl season.