Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
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.
Former Michigan State and NFL RB Jeremy Langford has signed with the CFL’s Jeremy Langford.
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One of the best Michigan State Football running backs in recent memory is heading to Canada. Jeremy Langford, who played for the Spartans, Chicago Bears, and Atlanta Falcons, has agreed to a deal with the Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders. The news was first reported by 3downnation.
Langford was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the Fourth Round of the 2015 NFL Draft where he played for two seasons, rushing for a total of 737 yards and 10 touchdowns. After leaving the Bears after a struggle with injuries, Langford had a brief stint with the Falcons but was waived with an injury designation.
Langford was one of the most productive running backs in MSU history, rushing for 2,967 yards and 40 touchdowns in his four-year career with the team, including a massive 1,522-yard season in 2014. Of course, Langford’s most memorable performance is likely his heroic 162 yard, 3 touchdown performance in the 2015 Cotton Bowl.
The 28-year-old Langford will join a crowded backfield in Saskatchewan but if he is now healthy should make a big impact in the league up north.
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If a Michigan State player is drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft, that will make it 80 years straight with an MSU player drafted.
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When Justin Layne was selected in the Third Round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers last year, he continued the streak of Michigan State players being selected in the NFL Draft to 79 years. This year, the Spartans will look to extend that streak to a milestone of 80 years. This is the third longest active NFL Draft streak out of all college football programs.
For any Spartan fans who might be concerned about reaching this mark, don’t be. Michigan State has 14 players eligible for this year’s draft, and I think there is a bare minimum of three players from this class whose name will be called in this year’s draft, and Josiah Scott specifically is a lock to be drafted.
In the poll we ran earlier today, at the time of this posting 35% of readers voted that MSU will have three players selected this year, with 25% thinking four will be drafted and 19% selecting five.
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This poll is in line with my thinking as well. I think MSU has five players in the draft this year who, if not all drafted, will at least be locks to be on NFL rosters next season. They are:
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Recapping all of the first round Spartans of the last 21 years.
The NFL Draft has finally arrived and sports fans across the country as salivating for video of Roger Goodell in his basement. (Imagine if I pulled you aside three months ago and read you that sentence.)
Michigan State has a long tradition of sending players to the NFL Draft, with a Spartan being selected in 79 (soon to be 80) straight drafts. There is an absolutely microscopic chance a Spartan goes in the first round of this year’s draft, but the program does have a nice history of players getting selected in the top 32.
A total of eight former Spartans have heard their names called in the first round of the NFL Draft since 1999 and that includes a couple of rough years during the Bobby Williams and John L. Smith days.
Before we start the list, can you name all eight?
Here is everything you need to know to watch Day 1 of the 2020 NFL Draft.
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Day 1 of the NFL draft starts tonight, and Michigan State has a host of players available to be selected (you can find the full list of MSU players who are draft-eligible here). Below you will find everything you need to know to watch or stream the 2020 NFL Draft.
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From USA TODAY:
The first round of the NFL draft will begin Thursday, April 23, at 8 p.m. ET. Day 2 of the NFL draft will begin Friday, April 24, at 7 p.m. ET. Day 3 of the NFL draft will begin Saturday, April 25, at noon ET.
The NFL draft will be broadcast on ESPN, NFL Network and ABC.
The NFL draft will be streaming on the WatchESPN app and NFL Mobile app.
Originally set to be held in Las Vegas, the 2020 NFL draft will be held remotely amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Commissioner Roger Goodell will announce picks from his New York home, and coaches and general managers will also work from their individual residences.
1. Cincinnati Bengals
2. Washington Redskins
3. Detroit Lions
4. New York Giants
5. Miami Dolphins
6. Los Angeles Chargers
7. Carolina Panthers
8. Arizona Cardinals
9. Jacksonville Jaguars
10. Cleveland Browns
11. New York Jets
12. Las Vegas Raiders
13. San Francisco 49ers (from Indianapolis Colts)
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
15. Denver Broncos
16. Atlanta Falcons
17. Dallas Cowboys
18. Miami Dolphins (from Pittsburgh Steelers)
19. Las Vegas Raiders (from Chicago Bears)
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Los Angeles Rams)
21. Philadelphia Eagles
22. Minnesota Vikings (from Buffalo Bills)
23. New England Patriots
24. New Orleans Saints
25. Minnesota Vikings
26. Miami Dolphins (from Houston Texans)
27. Seattle Seahawks
28. Baltimore Ravens
29. Tennessee Titans
30. Green Bay Packers
31. San Francisco 49ers
32. Kansas City Chiefs
We rounded up every Michigan State Football player who is eligible for this weekend’s NFL Draft.
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Day one of the NFL Draft kicks off tonight at 8pm ET on ABC and we will be covering every angle of the draft when it comes to the former Michigan State Football players who are eligible to be drafted. Below, we rounded up every single player who is eligible for this weekend’s draft as the Spartans look to extend their streak of having a player drafted every year in the modern era of the NFL.
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We also wrote previews on several of these players, click the links to read more about what analysts are saying about each player and our own scouting reports:
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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.
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The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel has added some new rule changes for the 2020 season.
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On Tuesday, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel announced some new rule changes for the 2020 Football season. The rules were updated in relation to targeting, player jersey numbers, and instant replay.
Here is a brief summary of the rule updates:
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Williams looks to be a solid day three prospect in many NFL Draft analysts’ eyes
Continuing our series looking at different Michigan State Football alumni who are heading into this week’s NFL Draft we come to a man known for plugging up running lanes and making splash plays in the backfield: Raequan Williams
Williams’ stock has been steady as a day three selection, but has certainly flashed some upside potential at the college level.
Raequan Williams is a really good dude that Michigan State fans are rooting to see succeed. His leadership and character are outstanding by all accounts and that could help make the difference for him as a day three pick. Williams was a big reason why Michigan State fared so well in run defense during his time in the green and white. He moves well in the muck of interior line play and showed the ability to get himself in the backfield and make plays.
His combine wasn’t the best and there are concerns about his overall strength and athleticism. He seems like the type of guy that is going to do whatever he can to make his professional career work, so I would imagine he will take to professional coaching and strength training very well. That will be important for him if he wants to elevate to a consistent defensive line rotation player at the next level.
DraftWire has Williams ranked 171st overall, which puts him in the early fifth round.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. told local media that he thought Williams had the potential to be a good day three (rounds 4-7) pick.
Speaking about potential good finds on day three of the draft, Mel Kiper Jr. includes Raequan Williams Says he likes the way he moves.
— Matt Wenzel (@mwenzel2) April 15, 2020
Williams received a 5.86 grade from Scouts Inc. which qualifies as a backup/special teams player. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein said of Williams:
“Grade will likely be tied to specific positional fit for each organization. Williams is long-legged and plays with below-average bend and twitch. He struggles to hold the point versus angle blocks but shows an ability to get skinny and disrupt in the backfield. He’s not as long as he looks but has versatility to play in odd or even fronts at a variety of spots. His bull rush generates pocket push and might translate, but he needs to keep adding strength and counters to diversify his rush plan. He’s a backup-caliber interior defender worthy of a Day 3 selection.”
Height: 6-4
Weight: 308
Arms: 33 3/8″
Hands: 9 3/8″
40-yard dash: 5.04 seconds
Bench press: 17 reps
Vertical jump: 25.5 inches
Broad jump: 101.0 inches
3-Cone drill: 7.72 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.78 seconds
49 games, 157 tackles, 29 TFLs, 11.5 sacks, 8 passes defended, 3 forced fumbles
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Michigan State captain Joe Bachie is eligible for the NFL Draft. Here is everything you need to know about Bachie’s draft chances.
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Continuing our series looking at different Michigan State Football alumni who are heading into this week’s NFL Draft we come to the man who was Michigan State’s starting middle linebacker for the better part of the three seasons: Joe Bachie.
The former First-Team All-Big Ten and two-time team captain will be entering the draft after missing the final five games of the season due to a suspension relating to PEDs.
If you enter Joe Bachie’s vicinity, you are going to be tackled. Bachie is a tackling machine who was Michigan State’s true defensive leader, as well as their heart and soul, for three seasons.
I have no doubt that he has a role to play in the NFL, however, it is hard not to see the criticisms of Bachie. Despite posting solid speed numbers at the combine, he did not flash must quick speed at the college level. Also noted by some analysts below, he would also struggle to shed blocks at times.
Basically, if you come near Bachie and he isn’t being caught up in a mess of blocks, he will tackle you more often than not. If he has to cover a lot of distance or blockers to make a tackle, things get tougher for him. That might limit his upside in the NFL but I think as a reliable tackler who can helm a defense I don’t think it would be absurd for him to go in the third or fourth round.
DraftWire has Bachie as their No. 203 ranked draft prospect which puts him in the 5th round.
“Bachie is an underrated and overlooked linebacker who will be underdrafted in April. He presents himself as a three-down defender who stands out against the run and can also play in zone coverage on passing downs. Bachie also comes with a special-teams mentality. He’ll be great value on day three of the draft and can develop into a starter at the next level.”
“His technique and play recognition will stand out for defensive coaches, but it might not matter if his speed and athletic testing don’t check out.”
“Overall, Bachie is an active, intense competitor with the toughness and awareness required for the pro game, but his athletic limitations might make it tough for him to surpass backup status in the NFL.”
“You have what happened with him missing games. … I thought he did a good job directing traffic,” Jeremiah said. “He can float, sort and fill and make some plays there. I just thought he had really average speed and range and I didn’t anticipate he would get drafted.”
Height: 6-1
Weight: 230
Arms: 31 5/8″
Hands: 10 1/4″
40-yard dash: 4.67 seconds
Bench press: 26 reps (2nd among LBs)
Vertical jump: 33.5 inches
Broad jump: 119.0 inches
3-Cone drill: 6.93 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.34 seconds
60-yard shuttle: N/A
285 tackles, 7 sacks, 5 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles
