The Former Spartan Transfers Who Went in the NFL Draft

A few different Michigan State players who transferred out were selected during the NFL Draft.

Michigan State wide receiver Germie Bernard (5) runs for a first down against Akron during the second half at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The transfer portal can make the path to the NFL Draft a bit more complicated than it used to be.

Michigan State had two NFL draft picks this cycle. Center Matt Gulbin went 209th overall to the Washington Commanders, while punter Ryan Eckley was picked at No. 211 by the Baltimore Ravens. MSU gets credit for both of those picks, but Gulbin spent most of his career at Wake Forest.

Feb 28, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State offensive lineman Matt Gulbin (OL25) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

The Spartans won't get the school name by some other picks, though.

Just like there was a point in the sixth round where Michigan State represented two players in a three-pick span, there was a run in the second round where two former MSU players who transferred out were selected across three picks.

EDGE Zion Young

Michigan State defensive lineman Zion Young (9) celebrates a tackle against Central Michigan defensive lineman Jacques Bristol (10) during the first half at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Baltimore ended up being one of the teams that took a once-outgoing Spartan, selecting EDGE Zion Young with the 45th overall pick in the draft. Young spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with Michigan State, appearing in 20 total games, making 47 tackles with 2.5 sacks.

Following Young's sophomore season, which was interrupted by the firing of Mel Tucker, he entered the transfer portal and landed at Missouri. Young had a game-winning scoop-and-score against Oklahoma during his junior year, but senior year was the big one for Young. He had 6.5 sacks in 2025 and 16.5 tackles for loss (second in the SEC), earning him first-team all-SEC honors.

WR Germie Bernard

Michigan State wide receiver Germie Bernard (5) scores a touchdown against Western Michigan during the first half at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Two picks after Young went, Germie Bernard went off the board to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spent just his true freshman season with MSU in 2022 after arriving on campus as a four-star recruit. Bernard caught seven passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns during his only season with the program before transferring to Washington.

Bernard actually played against MSU in 2023 while he was with the Huskies. That was the program's first game after Tucker was fired, with Bernard catching three passes for 23 yards that day, also recording a rushing touchdown. Current Michigan State offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan was the tight ends coach on that Washington staff.

Dec 6, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard (5) runs after making a catch during the SEC Championship game with Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

UW head coach Kalen DeBoer then got the Alabama job after Nick Saban retired. Bernard went with him, as did Sheridan, who became the Crimson Tide's offensive coordinator and playcaller. With Sheridan in charge of the offense, Bernard went from totaling 419 receiving yards in 2023 to 794 yards during the 2024 season.

He got even better this season, totaling 64 catches for 862 yards. His touchdowns also went from two to seven. Between Bernard, Keon Coleman, and Nick Marsh, the Spartans would certainly like to see this trend of top receivers transferring away stop.

Michigan State's Germie Bernard returns a kick against Rutgers during the third quarter on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK