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Penn State DT Zane Durant outruns Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott at NFL Combine

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones02/26/26brianjones_93

Penn State defensive tackle Zane Durant showed off his speed at the NFL Combine by outrunning Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott. The NFL shared a video of Durant running the 40-yard dash and compared it to Mahomes and Prescott’s performances when they were rookies. Durant finished with a time of 4.76, Prescott recorded a 4.79, and Mahones notched a 4.80.

“The defensive tackles are getting bigger and faster every year,” Rich Eisen said in the video. He’s not wrong, as the rookie defensive tackles are as fast as the top QBs in the NFL. Durant’s speed helped him register four sacks for Penn State in 2025.

“My get off is the first thing they talk about,” Zane Durant said when reported asked about the feedback he was geting from NFL scouts, per Nittany Sports Now. “My motor, they said, could be better, but they said everything that I play with, the fight that I play with, how fun I play, and the intensity I play with is something they’re excited about.”

Can Zane Durant be a star like Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott?

Durant also talked about Penn State finishing the 2025 season with a 7-6 record. “We did a lot of winning in my first three years,” Durant said on Wednesday. “So losing was a thing that I wasn’t really comfortable with or used to. So last year prepared me for the next step, and just being able to be aware before things happen and get too late.”

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com has shared his scouting report on Durant. “Durant’s disruptive potential is maximized in slanting/twisting schemes, where he can use his lateral quickness to beat zone blocks, slip into gaps and track down screens,” he said. “His small frame and short arms make him a sitting duck as a static defender, though.”

Durant is looking to have a successful NFL career like Mahomes and Prescott. Mahomes, who is currently recovering from a torn ACL, has led the Kansas City Chiefs to three Super Bowl wins and has won the NFL MVP award twice. Prescott has been the Dallas Cowboys’ starting QB for 10 seasons and has been selected to the Pro Bowl four times.