Michigan State Football's Decline Reflected in NFL Draft Picks

It should come at no surprise that the Spartans have had fewer players selected in the NFL Draft as the program has declined...

During the 2010s, Michigan State Football rose to the top of the Big Ten Conference, as head coach Mark Dantonio and the Spartans battled with Wisconsin and Ohio State for Midwest supremacy.

It was a modern golden age for MSU Football, which shared a conference title with the Badgers in 2010 and won two more Big Ten championships outright in 2013 and 2015. Those teams were led by guys who would go on to be drafted into the NFL, guys like quarterback Kirk Cousins (2012 Draft), running back Le'Veon Bell (2013) offensive tackle Jack Conklin (2016) and cornerbacks Darqueze Dennard (2014) and Trae Waynes (2015).

In the six NFL Drafts between 2011 and 2016, the same time period as Michigan State won those three Big Ten titles, the Spartans had 21 players selected, an average of 3.5 per draft. During those six years, MSU had a 65-16 record as a program and averaged 10.8 wins per season.

However, MSU's program began a downward trend over the final four years of the Dantonio era, and that trend continued in what was ultimately a failed tenure under previous head coach Mel Tucker (2020-2023). Coming into the 2024 NFL Draft, the Spartans have had just 14 players selected in the previous seven drafts, including no players drafted at all in the 2021 NFL Draft. That was the first time in 80 years that not a single Spartan was selected in the a professional draft.

It should come as now surprise then that Michigan State has struggled on the field, with a 45-38 record. That record does not include the 4-8 mark the Spartans stumbled to this past season. While it's possible MSU could have a player selected this year, it's no guarantee. Two NFL Drafts with no Spartan selected within four years would be another telling sign of just how far this program has fallen in recent years.

If Michigan State is to have a player selected in 2024, the best bet is center Nick Samac, who was invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl and the NFL Combine during the leadup to the draft. However, Samac was unable to practice for the bowl game or participate in the on-field combine drills as he recovers from a broken left fibula suffered in MSU's game against Indiana on Nov. 18. If Samac is selected, it will be in the late rounds on Sunday.

None of the major NFL Draft mock drafts have a Michigan State player being selected this year. Outside of Samac, a couple other dark horse options to be selected are offensive lineman J.D. Duplain or linebacker Jacoby Windmon. Others who participated in MSU's Pro Day include linebacker Aaron Brule, tight end Jaylan Franklin, running back Harold Joiner III, cornerback Chester Kimbrough, wide receiver Tre Mosley, defensive tackle Jalen Sami and defensive end Brandon Wright. Still, the cast majority (if not all) of those players will have to hope for invites to fall camp from NFL teams as undrafted free agents.

This is the task facing new Michigan State football coach Jonathan Smith. The Spartans need an influx of talent and much better development to return near the top of the Big Ten and start putting players in the NFL again.

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