INDIANAPOLIS — It’s not uncommon for a player to transition, at some point in his football career, from cornerback to safety, and there are plenty of cases of deep safeties moving to in-the-box linebacker.
But how about a player who has made the move among the three and back again?
“I feel like it definitely helps you,” that player, Zakee Wheatley, said. “In the NFL, you look for guys that can do multiple things.”
NFL teams indeed do, which is one reason why they’re looking at Wheatley.
Coming out of Penn State and listed as a safety, Wheatley is considered a prospect expected to be drafted at some point before the end of the third round — or earlier – in April in Pittsburgh.
Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing more than 200 pounds, Wheatley has the size to support in the running game in addition to coverage skills honed after he spent his freshman season of college as an outside cornerback.
“I’m pretty versatile,” Wheatley said Thursday from the site of the NFL combine. “In the beginning years of my career at Penn State, I was a lot in the post and showing off my range. But (in 2025 under one-year Nittany Lions coordinator Jim Knowles), it allowed me to be in the box and fill the alley more. And I really appreciate that part of the game.”
Wheatley confirmed that during combine week he met with representatives from the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are known to be in the market for a safety in the draft.
If Wheatley ends up with the Steelers, he would reunite with a player he backed up during his freshman season, Joey Porter Jr., who, in 2022, was a senior. Over the three pro seasons, Porter Jr. has established himself as the Steelers’ No. 1 cornerback.
“Joey Porter is my ‘dog,’ ” Wheatley said from Indiana Convention Center. “We grew very close (when they both were cornerbacks), and I’ve talked to him all the time.
“On the field, Joey was pretty gifted athletically. I loved watching his reps at Penn State in competition periods. Being able to watch that every morning as a young athlete at Penn State was pretty inspiring.”
At 6-2, 193, Porter is similar in size to Wheatley, who played linebacker as a youth until high school. He called football “one of my three loves,” along with basketball and baseball, sports he also played in high school.
Wheatley credited his baseball background for his ball-seeking skills that allowed him to accumulate six interceptions and six pass breakups while at Penn State. He also ended up with 223 tackles (145 solo, five for loss).
During the Nittany Lions’ run to the 2024 season’s College Football Playoff semifinals, Wheatley totaled 26 tackles with two interceptions, a sack and a forced fumble, including 16 tackles in the semifinal loss to Notre Dame.
“Being able to compete on the biggest stage and have good performances was very important to me,” Wheatley said. “The ball was just finding me, and I was finding the ball.”
Porter isn’t the only standout Wheatley played alongside in the Penn State secondary. Remarkably, each of the past four NFL Drafts have featured two Nittany Lions defensive backs selected.
“Penn State sends dudes into the NFL every year,” Wheatley said. “So being able to be young and grow into that program and have so many dudes that are mentors to me is a blessing. Some programs don’t have that, so having those relationships means a lot.
“I learned from all those guys.”
Wheatley, likewise, learned from his senior season, when Penn State entered with a No. 2 ranking but lost six of its first nine, leading to the firing of coach James Franklin. Under interim coach Terry Smith, though, the Lions won their final four games.
“Coming into this year, we had plans of playing for a national championship. That’s why I went to Penn State,” Wheatley said. “So, obviously, facing challenges, it taught me to be perseverance and just fight through, keep my head down, and play for the love of the game.
“We had some challenges, so to show my perseverance and being a leader on the team was very important to me.”
