It started with breaking news and ended with one of the internet’s favorite draft-week pile-ons. Adam Schefter delivered a legitimate update on Penn State running back Nick Singleton, but one small detail flipped the entire moment on its head.
The report was right. The photo was not. Schefter bore the brunt of a mishap that no one knows how it happened. He used a super old photo of Cordell Mitchell instead of Nick Singleton and announced that “Nick Singleton is medically cleared.” That was all it took for Twitter to explode. The Penn State official X account got involved.
NFL World Goes Into a Collective Giggle Over Adam Schefter’s Nick Singleton and Cordell Mitchell Mix-up
Schefter captioned the Mitchell photo: “Penn St. RB Nick Singleton, who broke his 5th metatarsal in his right foot at the Senior Bowl, has now been medically cleared and has resumed running. Singleton projects to be a mid-round pick next week.”
The update itself checked out. That is why Schefter remains a tier one insider. But the image mismatch became the story.
Devin Jackson of the Philadelphia Inquirer summed up the confusion: “How could Schefter possibly think this was Nick Singleton when he tweeted this out?”
Creator of All 32, Brett Kollmann, joined the joke and wrote: “Rumor is the Titans are picking Sonny Styles at 4th overall.”
Kollmann added A.J. Hawk’s image. Hawk was a standout defensive player for Ohio State from 2002 to 2005, wearing jersey number 47.
Then came the real fun. Penn State’s official X account joined the party as well. The caption read: “Heard a scoop Nick Singleton is back 👀 One of our favorite runs ⬇️.”
Instead of Singleton, they shared Cordell Mitchell’s iconic 77-yard touchdown run against Bowling Green from 1998, a defining play that set the tone for that season.
Sleeper CFB posted: “F— it Nick Singleton Highlights 😤” with the reel of Ki-Jana Carter opening the 1995 Rose Bowl with an 83-yard TD.
Die-hard PSU fan page Penn State Talk followed with: “Can’t wait to see where Kaytron Allen, Penn State’s all-time leading rusher, pictured below, gets drafted to as well.”
The image? John Cappelletti, the program’s lone Heisman Trophy winner from 1973.
Lost in all of it, though, was the actual takeaway. From a draft perspective, this is meaningful for Nicholas Singleton. He is now medically cleared after suffering a broken fifth metatarsal at the Senior Bowl, and that resets his timeline heading into the draft.
For teams weighing medical risk versus upside, that clearance matters. PFSN Analyst Cameron Sheath’s latest projection places him in Round 5 at pick No. 177 to the Dallas Cowboys. The reasoning is straightforward. He profiles as an explosive rotational back early, with a pathway to more depending on roster construction and contract timelines. Singleton’s production backs up the intrigue.
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The former five-star recruit finished his collegiate career with 45 rushing touchdowns and 55 total touchdowns, showcasing the kind of big-play ability that still translates at the next level.
However, he is not entering the draft with clean, top-tier momentum, but the traits, athletic profile, and now a clean bill of health give him a chance to outperform that projection. Singleton is healthy again, and for a mid-round prospect with real upside, that might be the detail teams remember long after the joke fades.
