Michigan State football's 80-year streak in the NFL Draft ended in 2021. Since then, the Spartans have named seven of his players in each of the past two seasons.
With a three-day draft starting Thursday in Detroit, it could be until Saturday if another MSU player hears his name. If so.
Like a pair of second-round picks the past two years, MSU's 2023 draft pick is not a sure thing. In 2022, Kenneth Walker III returns to Seattle and wide receiver Jaden Reed returns to Green Bay. The closest thing the Spartans can claim is wide receiver Keon Coleman, a potential first-round draft pick. He left the program after two years and played last season at Florida State before declaring for the draft.
Center Nick Sammack may be the best option from last season's team, but the former Mark Dantonio recruit underwent foot surgery in December after the Spartans' 4-8 season. After being invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl, he was unable to practice. The 6-foot-4, 307-pound native of Mentor, Ohio, started 32 of MSU's 48 games, but played in the Spartans' penultimate game of the season Nov. 18 at Indiana. I broke my left fibula on my first drive. He was invited to the NFL Combine in late February, but was unable to take the field.
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“Preparation is going well and I'm getting healthy. I've been training every day and getting really good,” Samak said Saturday during BTN's broadcast of MSU's final spring practice. “The first thing that comes to mind when I think about the draft is that this is not just a victory for myself, but a victory for my family and my last name.”
The Spartans are not listed in the major mock drafts conducted leading up to the event. NFL analyst Lance Zierlein predicted Samak could be selected in the sixth or seventh round, but he needs to “add mass and improve his pass protection” to reach his ceiling. That's what I felt.
“He is strong at the point of attack, but will have his limits against NFL power,” Zierlein wrote. “He operates with great hand placement and nimble feet, and he becomes a devil when it comes to leading the way as a pulling center. He is fluid and agile in the run game, but in protection those traits are less It's useless.”
The other two dark horse prospects to be drafted are fellow Interior offensive lineman J.D. Duplain and linebacker Jacoby Windmon. Other players who worked out during MSU's pro day in March and are hoping to sneak into the later rounds or join the roster as undrafted free agents include linebacker Aaron Brule, tight end Jaylan Franklin , running back Harold Joyner III, cornerback Chester Kimbrough, wide receiver Tre Mosley, defensive tackle Jalen Sami and defensive end Brandon Wright.
Mosley, a Pontiac native who played at West Bloomfield High School, is the only in-state Spartan player this season with a chance to advance to the next level.
“The timing couldn't have been more perfect. It's amazing that this year's draft will be here in Detroit. It's a dream come true,” Mosley said on BTN on Saturday. “Myself and Nick have been dreaming of this since we were kids, and now the time has come.”
Last year, Reid was selected 50th overall by the Packers. Punter Bryce Ballinger and defensive back Amir Speed both went to New England in the sixth round.
However, Coleman remains the most likely draft pick with experience at MSU. He's been mocked everywhere from the top of the second round (projected No. 34 to New England by ESPN.com) to the middle of the third round (No. 84 to Pittsburgh by NFL.com).
The 6-3, 213-pound Louisiana native led MSU with 58 catches, 798 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022 before transferring to Florida State. Coleman had 50 catches for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns, earning first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors.
Coleman returned in early March to watch the Spartans' final home basketball game – he spent his freshman year after football as a walk-on for Tom Izzo – and MSU's wide receivers coach. Courtney Hawkins said she met with Coleman for two hours during his visit back on campus.
“He made a business decision, but we have a relationship right now that's bigger than the business of college football. It's totally different,” said the former MSU wideout, who joined Tampa Bay in 1992. said Hawkins, a second-round pick who spent nine years in the NFL. “He took advantage of what he felt was best for him. But from a coach and player standpoint, he calls and asks, 'Should I do this?' Should we do that? He's going through this process right now with the whole draft coming up and everything else going on.
“We've had a great relationship. I'm one of his biggest fans. I sit in front of the TV and I'm like, 'You have to take my man.' Masu.”
Contact Chris Solari:csolari@freepress.com.follow him @chrysolari.
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