Coach Smith believes his Spartans can play in the NFL (via the NFL Draft or Undrafted Free Agency)
COACH SMITH ON HIS GUYS:.
"I think some of these guys were deserving (of a combine invite), and that's a process they go through that we don't totally control, but I'm pretty confident these guys can play at the next level, and they'll get that opportunity."
OFFENSIVE LINE SHOWING UP IN THE DRAFT
Luke Newman, MSU's left guard, could be MSU's best draftable player. He had outstanding testing numbers on Pro Day. He played in the East-West Shrine Bowl and showed his versatility: "I started out playing left guard, moved over to right guard, and at the end of the game, I got about 10 reps at center, so I got to showcase a lot of versatility." Newman transferred to MSU from Holy Cross, where he was an FCS All-American. Newman had a 35-inch vertical and 29 reps on the bench press. Center Tanner Miller is also getting some credible interest from the NFL. Last year, Nick Samac was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens, and MSU's last first-round pick was Jack Conklin in 2016.
SOMETIMES UNDRAFTED FREE AGENCY IS BETTER:
The good thing about not being drafted is when NFL teams try to sign those players to free-agent tenders. This gives players more control over where they want to go based on depth charts and allows them to choose what they want to do. Kurt Warner and Antonio Gates were great NFL players through undrafted free agency. A decent portion of the following 14 guys below will have to follow that angle.
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COACH SMITH ON HIS GUYS:.
"I think some of these guys were deserving (of a combine invite), and that's a process they go through that we don't totally control, but I'm pretty confident these guys can play at the next level, and they'll get that opportunity."
OFFENSIVE LINE SHOWING UP IN THE DRAFT
Luke Newman, MSU's left guard, could be MSU's best draftable player. He had outstanding testing numbers on Pro Day. He played in the East-West Shrine Bowl and showed his versatility: "I started out playing left guard, moved over to right guard, and at the end of the game, I got about 10 reps at center, so I got to showcase a lot of versatility." Newman transferred to MSU from Holy Cross, where he was an FCS All-American. Newman had a 35-inch vertical and 29 reps on the bench press. Center Tanner Miller is also getting some credible interest from the NFL. Last year, Nick Samac was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens, and MSU's last first-round pick was Jack Conklin in 2016.
SOMETIMES UNDRAFTED FREE AGENCY IS BETTER:
The good thing about not being drafted is when NFL teams try to sign those players to free-agent tenders. This gives players more control over where they want to go based on depth charts and allows them to choose what they want to do. Kurt Warner and Antonio Gates were great NFL players through undrafted free agency. A decent portion of the following 14 guys below will have to follow that angle.
- OG Luke Newman (Chicago Bears, Drafted)
- C Tanner Miller
- EDGE Khris Bogle (Minnesota Vikings, Minicamp invite)
- RB Nathan Carter (Atlanta Falcons, UDFA)
- LB Jordan Turner
- OT Brandon Baldwin
- RB Kay-Ron Lynch-Adams (Carolina Panthers, UDFA)
- WR Montorie Foster
- DT D'Quan Douse
- DT Maverick Hansen (Indianapolis Colts, Minicamp invite)
- Safety Angelo Grose
- CB Ed Woods
- CB Lejond Cavazos (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minicamp invite)
- K Johnathan Kim (Chicago Bears, UDFA)
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