I think most Michigan State fans walked away from the 2020 NFL Draft feeling like the MSU Football players available were overlooked. The Spartans only had two out of fourteen eligible players drafted this year, and the two players that did get selected were taken much later than projected. Kenny Willekes specifically was in the 4th/5th round range on many draft boards, but fell to the 7th round where he was finally taken by the Minnesota Vikings. Due to their ability to get a player like Willekes in the final round, the selection of the MSU defensive end has been named one of the biggest steals of the draft by DraftWire.
Here is what our sister site DraftWire had to say about the pick:
“Willekes comes in ranked 154th overall on the Draft Wire board, with a fourth-round grade, but Mike Zimmer was able to find him in the seventh round. Everson Griffin remains unsigned, and the team could use depth. Willekes racked up 26 career sacks for the Spartans while earning Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year honors in 2018. He was awarded the Burlsworth Trophy given to an outstanding player who started as a walk-on.”
