Michigan State football is in danger of repeating a disappointing feat in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The 2024 NFL Draft featured only one Spartan: Center Nick Samac, selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the seventh round. That was at least better than the school’s performance in the 2021 draft, where zero Spartans were selected, breaking an 80-year streak of at least one MSU player taken in the draft.
The 2024 Spartans finished with a 5-7 record under first-year head coach Jonathan Smith, marking the third straight season MSU finished with a sub-.500 record. And with that succession of regular-season disappointment comes a shortage of draft talent. There are very few Spartans that draft experts believe will hear their name called Thursday-Saturday in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Still, there are MSU players that present some interesting NFL potential, plus one former MSU player who could be a first-round selection.
Let’s take a look at who from MSU could be represented at the 2025 NFL Draft.
Derrick Harmon, DT
The Detroit native played his first three seasons at MSU before transferring to Oregon prior to the 2024 season. While at Oregon, Harmon registered 45 tackles in 14 games played and was named a second-team All-American (even though he was named to the All-Big Ten third team … go figure).
Harmon has been connected in pre-draft analysis to the Detroit Lions, which would bring another Michigan native to the Lions’ defensive line. However, a recent mock draft by Mel Kiper Jr. has Harmon going 21st overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers, though other analysts see Harmon going later in the draft.
And to get the obvious out of the way … no, this would not qualify as an MSU draft pick since Harmon most recently played for the Ducks. But Spartans fans may have to celebrate it, anyway, if they want to guarantee any representation at the 2025 draft.
Jonathan Kim, PK
You know Michigan State football is in a rough spot when arguably its best chance at a drafted player comes from its special teams.
But let’s not try to sell Kim short. Among all placekickers in MSU history, Kim holds the record for best field-goal percentage (82.1%) and made seven field goals of 50 yards or more. He was also named second-team All-Big Ten in 2024.
That was good enough to land as an honorable mention on Kiper’s big board – the only MSU player with that distinction – listed as Kiper’s fourth-best eligible place kicker. But since there are rarely more than three kickers selected in any NFL draft, Kim’s chances of getting selected might be pretty low.
Other notable players
The sixth-year senior defensive lineman Khris Bogle has gotten some attention as a potential draft selection, though he hasn’t made much noise among the most seasoned draft analysts.
Linebacker Cal Haladay was also seen as a potential NFL contributor, but he has instead chosen to pursue a different career after graduating with a degree in chemistry.
One other Michigan-born NFL draft prospect making big waves is University of Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston, who was born in West Bloomfield (but played his college ball outside the state).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: NFL draft: Michigan State players who could be picked in 2025 draft
Michigan State football is in danger of repeating a disappointing feat in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The 2024 NFL Draft featured only one Spartan: Center Nick Samac, selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the seventh round. That was at least better than the school’s performance in the 2021 draft, where zero Spartans were selected, breaking an 80-year streak of at least one MSU player taken in the draft.
The 2024 Spartans finished with a 5-7 record under first-year head coach Jonathan Smith, marking the third straight season MSU finished with a sub-.500 record. And with that succession of regular-season disappointment comes a shortage of draft talent. There are very few Spartans that draft experts believe will hear their name called Thursday-Saturday in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Still, there are MSU players that present some interesting NFL potential, plus one former MSU player who could be a first-round selection.
Let’s take a look at who from MSU could be represented at the 2025 NFL Draft.
Derrick Harmon, DT
The Detroit native played his first three seasons at MSU before transferring to Oregon prior to the 2024 season. While at Oregon, Harmon registered 45 tackles in 14 games played and was named a second-team All-American (even though he was named to the All-Big Ten third team … go figure).
Harmon has been connected in pre-draft analysis to the Detroit Lions, which would bring another Michigan native to the Lions’ defensive line. However, a recent mock draft by Mel Kiper Jr. has Harmon going 21st overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers, though other analysts see Harmon going later in the draft.
And to get the obvious out of the way … no, this would not qualify as an MSU draft pick since Harmon most recently played for the Ducks. But Spartans fans may have to celebrate it, anyway, if they want to guarantee any representation at the 2025 draft.
Jonathan Kim, PK
You know Michigan State football is in a rough spot when arguably its best chance at a drafted player comes from its special teams.
But let’s not try to sell Kim short. Among all placekickers in MSU history, Kim holds the record for best field-goal percentage (82.1%) and made seven field goals of 50 yards or more. He was also named second-team All-Big Ten in 2024.
That was good enough to land as an honorable mention on Kiper’s big board – the only MSU player with that distinction – listed as Kiper’s fourth-best eligible place kicker. But since there are rarely more than three kickers selected in any NFL draft, Kim’s chances of getting selected might be pretty low.
Other notable players
The sixth-year senior defensive lineman Khris Bogle has gotten some attention as a potential draft selection, though he hasn’t made much noise among the most seasoned draft analysts.
Linebacker Cal Haladay was also seen as a potential NFL contributor, but he has instead chosen to pursue a different career after graduating with a degree in chemistry.
One other Michigan-born NFL draft prospect making big waves is University of Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston, who was born in West Bloomfield (but played his college ball outside the state).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: NFL draft: Michigan State players who could be picked in 2025 draft
