Tag: Kenny Willekes

Watch the moments where Josiah Scott and Kenny Willekes find out they were drafted

Michigan State players Josiah Scott and Kenny Willekes were both drafted this year. You can watch the moments they were drafted here.

[jwplayer eCdIq255]

Michigan State had two players representing the program when they were selected in the 2020 NFL Draft. Those players were cornerback Josiah Scott (4th Round, Jacksonville Jaguars) and DE Kenny Willekes (7th Round, Minnesota Vikings).

The Michigan State Football team Twitter account posted awesome videos on Sunday showing the exact moment when Scott and Willekes found out that they were being selected.

You can watch both videos below:

Both picks have been largely praised by draft analysts, with some even calling Willekes one of the steals of the draft.

A host of other Spartans who weren’t drafted have been finding teams via free agency. You can see the full list of who has signed here.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

Vikings picks James Lynch, Kenny Willekes listed by Next Gen Stats as Day 3 Hidden Gems

Next Gen Stats considers Vikings draftees James Lynch, Kenny Willekes to be analytics standouts.

According to Next Gen Stats, the Vikings got good value in James Lynch and Kenny Willekes on Day three of the NFL Draft.

Lynch, a pass-rushing defensive tackle out of Baylor, along with Willekes, a Michigan State defensive end who’s adept at getting into the backfield, were listed among Next Gen Stats’ “Day 3 Hidden Gems.”

The outlet said to “watch out for these eleven players, who all possess intriguing traits as day 3 selections” when listing Lynch and Willekes among other players. It seems like both Lynch and Willekes had very good numbers for where they were drafted.

Lynch had 13.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss for Baylor in 2019. Willekes had 10.5 sacks and 16 tackles for a loss with Michigan State in his final collegiate season.

If those two pan out, it would be a big boost for the Vikings, considering the team saw big departures at both defensive tackle and defensive end in the offseason. Defensive tackle Linval Joseph signed with the Chargers. Reserve defensive end Stephen Weatherly left for the Panthers.

And Everson Griffen announced on Instagram that he would be leaving the Vikings. He has yet to sign with another team.

Kenny Willekes named one of the biggest steals of the 2020 NFL Draft

The Minnesota Vikings selecting Kenny Willekes in the 7th Round has been named one of the biggest steals of the draft by DraftWire.

[jwplayer jEyuKxXM]

I think most Michigan State fans walked away from the 2020 NFL Draft feeling like the MSU Football players available were overlooked. The Spartans only had two out of fourteen eligible players drafted this year, and the two players that did get selected were taken much later than projected. Kenny Willekes specifically was in the 4th/5th round range on many draft boards, but fell to the 7th round where he was finally taken by the Minnesota Vikings. Due to their ability to get a player like Willekes in the final round, the selection of the MSU defensive end has been named one of the biggest steals of the draft by DraftWire.

Here is what our sister site DraftWire had to say about the pick:

“Willekes comes in ranked 154th overall on the Draft Wire board, with a fourth-round grade, but Mike Zimmer was able to find him in the seventh round. Everson Griffin remains unsigned, and the team could use depth. Willekes racked up 26 career sacks for the Spartans while earning Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year honors in 2018. He was awarded the Burlsworth Trophy given to an outstanding player who started as a walk-on.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

Vikings draft pick Kenny Willekes went to Kirk Cousins’ house for 7-on-7 event

“He’s definitely a Michigan State legend.” Kenny Willekes had high praise for Kirk Cousins.

Kenny Willekes became teammates with Kirk Cousins on Saturday, when he was drafted by the Vikings with the No. 225 overall pick.

A seventh-round draft choice, Willekes was a standout defensive end at Michigan State, the former school of Kirk Cousins.

Cousins’ and Willekes’ time did not overlap at Michigan State, but the two still have a football history. As reported by the Detroit Free Press, Willekes played in a Christian 7-on-7 event, which Cousins sponsored at his house.

Willekes said this about the Vikings starting quarterback:

“He’s definitely a Michigan State legend,” Willekes told the Detroit Free Press. “He kind of set the path to show the way to get from Michigan State to the NFL. And not only that, he’s also from West Michigan. … So having the opportunity to play with him in Minnesota is kind of like a dream come true. He’s someone I looked up looked up to a lot growing up.”

In his final collegiate season with the team, Willekes tallied 10.5 sacks and 16 tackles for a loss.

Biggest steals of the 2020 NFL Draft

See who landed the best bargains across all seven round of the 2020 NFL Draft

After three days of telecasts, interviews, and 255 selections the 2020 NFL Draft is now in the books.

We were promised chaos, uncertainty and surprises throughout the entire process. After the first 10 selections that provided no trading, we started to see a little bit of that chaos.

Prior to the undrafted free agency rush, let’s take a look at the 10 biggest steals of the class:

Trevon Diggs | CB | Alabama

Dallas Cowboys | 2nd Round | No. 51 overall

Trevon was a converted wide receiver at Alabama and Nick Saban was able to mold him into one of the best ballhawks at the position among the NFL Draft hopefuls. Most draft boards, including Luke Easterling’s board, ranked him as a top-32 player in the draft. Now he joins a team that seemingly received steal after steal over the three-day event.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10

Twitter reactions to Minnesota Vikings drafting Kenny Willekes as a 7th round “steal”

The Minnesota Vikings drafted Michigan State star in the 7th round and Vikings and Spartans fans all thought it was a steal.

[jwplayer uiKRAikX]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Vikings select Michigan State defensive end Kenny Willekes at No. 225 in the NFL Draft

Please give a warm welcome to Michigan State defensive end Kenny Willekes, newest member of the Vikings.

The Vikings have added some edge rushers to replace some of the production lost this offseason.

Minnesota lost defensive end Stephen Weatherly to the Panthers in free agency. Weatherly was a reserve for the Vikings. Everson Griffen also announced on Instagram that he was leaving the team. He hasn’t signed anywhere yet, but the team should prep for Griffen to not return.

Michigan State’s Kenny Willekes can compete for those opening spots. The Vikings took Willekes at No. 225 in the NFL Draft. My guess is that he can be a decent reserve for Minnesota.

He is the Spartans’ all-time leader in career tackles for loss with 51. He had 16 for Michigan State in 2019.

Minnesota nabbed LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson at No. 22. Then, the team chose TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney in the first round. The Vikings followed that up with Boise State tackle Ezra Cleveland in the following round.

After that Minnesota drafted Mississippi State corner Cameron Dantzler, Baylor defensive tackle James Lynch, Oregon linebacker Troy Dye, Temple corner Harrison Hand, Miami wide receiver K.J. Osborn, Oregon State offensive lineman Blake Brandel and Michigan safety Josh Metellus. The team has also made four trades during the NFL Draft.

Michigan State DE Kenny Willekes drafted in 7th Round by Minnesota Vikings

Michigan State’s star defensive end Kenny Willekes is heading to Minnesota.

[jwplayer QdR5S1l2]

It took a little longer than many expected, but after extending their streak of having a player drafted each year in the NFL Draft to 80 years, Michigan State finally has a second player drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft in defensive end Kenny Willekes. Willekes was taken 225th overall in the 7th round by the Minnesota Vikings.

It was a bit of a surprise to many, including myself, that Willekes lasted until the final round of the draft before getting selected. As SpartansWire writer Wil Hunter pointed out, it is extremely rare to see a Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year drafted so low. In fact, it simply hasn’t happened in the last 10 years:

In my opinion, the Vikings got an absolute steal of a pick here with Willekes, who I think will be able to compete from day one in Minnesota.

Here is the draft announcement from the NFL Draft Twitter account:

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

Which Michigan State alum could hear their names called during day two of the NFL Draft

There are a handful of MSU alums that could hear their names called in rounds two or three

Does the streak grow to 80 years on Friday night?

To no surprise, no Michigan State players were selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. While a day one pick in this bunch was always unlikely, there’s a shot for a few MSU alums to get selected during day two. Which Spartans have a shot at being the one to extend MSU’s streak of having at least one player selected in the NFL Draft to 80 straight years? Well, there are a few candidates out of the 14 draft eligible prospects.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Locked On Spartans Podcast: Pierre Brooks goes green, NFL Draft preview

Breaking down MSU’s draft prospects and where they might end up getting drafted

Wil and Matt discuss Pierre Brooks’ commitment to MSU hoops and welcome in Andrew Harbaugh of Coast to Coast Scouting to talk about Michigan State’s NFL Draft prospects.

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=516986277]