Analysts Praise Dantonio, Spartan Football Program at NFL Scouting Combine

Feb. 25, 2015

INDIANAPOLIS - While the focus of the NFL Scouting Combine is on the rookie class for the upcoming 2015 NFL Draft, msuspartans.com also had a chance to visit with several media members from around the country last week in Indianapolis to talk about the state of the Spartan football program after MSU finished in the top five of the national polls for the second consecutive season in 2014.

After winning 53 games the past five seasons, including four straight bowl wins, Michigan State has firmly established itself as a national program. The Spartans are the only program in the country to win a Bowl Championship Series game during the 2013 season and a New Year's Six game last season, with wins over No. 5 Stanford in the 2014 Rose Bowl and No. 4 Baylor in the 2015 Cotton Bowl.

"I think one thing that you can talk about is the consistency of Michigan State," said Sirius/XM NFL analyst and former Spartan and NFL quarterback Jim Miller. "Since Mark Dantonio arrived on Michigan State's doorstep, he's maximized talent and he's continued to entice more talent to commit to Michigan State, because these young guys know that Mark Dantonio is committed to them. He doesn't recruit stars; they recruit the person."

"The track record in terms of draft picks and also guys who pan out in the league is as high as you can get in terms of a percentage when you start to compare Michigan State to some other schools across the country."

-ESPN's Todd McShay

The player development under Dantonio and his coaching staff was not lost upon the analysts at the NFL Scouting Combine.

"Exceeding expectations," said ESPN's Todd McShay when asked about the players in the Spartan program. "These guys who are two, three-star recruits, not four and five-star recruits, come in, they're well-coached, (and) they're tough. They know what it's like to come in and work hard. If you look at the track record, it's pretty amazing. Coach Dantonio has done a remarkable job...The track record in terms of draft picks and also guys who pan out in the league is as high as you can get in terms of a percentage when you start to compare Michigan State to some other schools across the country."

"I always know what I get from Michigan State players, especially on the defensive side of the ball," said NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock, who cited 2014 first-round cornerback Darqueze Dennard and likely first-round choice Trae Waynes as prime examples of players who only continued to improve during their careers at MSU.

"I think what you see with them is that their evaluations are probably a lot better than a lot of other people's evaluations," said Bruce Feldman, senior college football reporter and columnist for FOXSports.com and FOX Sports 1. "Darqueze Dennard is probably the best example. He was a completely unheralded recruit and he blossomed into one of the best cornerbacks in college football at the end of his career.

"There are other guys too, like Shilique Calhoun. Granted, you have a couple of five-star players thrown into the mix. They have a five-star in the middle of the defensive line (Malik McDowell) that everybody wanted. There are different parts of it. I go back to Connor Cook, who was a three-star guy from Ohio; there is probably a little bit of a chip on his shoulder. Guys who are like, `these other schools didn't want me.'"

"In terms of technique and how they practice, they run their practices like a pro-style practice," said Miller. "In terms of the drills, the techniques that are taught, the schemes, again, a pro-style on offense, and a pro-style on defense in terms of blitzing; there's a lot of man-to-man coverage, a lot of the skill sets that translate very well to the National Football League.

"I think how Mark Dantonio and his whole coaching staff is perceived in the NFL is solid and that's why Michigan State continues to put itself back on the map in terms of the quality talent, not only who (they're) recruiting, but how they're developed and they're prepared to play in the pros right away. I think they're extremely well-respected in the NFL."

For as consistent as the Spartans have been the past few seasons, the future looks just as bright in 2015.

"I definitely think they're a playoff contender, but every season is going to present new challenges and new adversity," said Miller. "I think that's what it comes down to each year, how they're molded and how they come out of training camp, but they're going to be able to write their history in terms of what they want their season to entail.

"They know they can compete against any team in the country. It really is a cliché, but every game in a 12-week season is a new challenge, so it's really 12 one-game seasons and that's how it's viewed. I think the focus that Mark Dantonio puts on the team each week is going to determine that and if those players rise to the challenge. The talent is there, the team is capable of doing it, and Mark Dantonio can be the one to lead them to drink the water, but they're the ones that have to lead themselves to execute and prove that they can be a National Championship team...I think there's better things to come, and I think a lot of it is due to Mark Dantonio's success, his commitment, and how great of a coach that he is."

"Credit to Mark Dantonio and former defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi, those guys deserve a ton of credit for what they've done on defense, but the offensive line I think is one of the most underrated parts of their program because they're consistently good," said Feldman. "They had some injuries but they seem to battle right through it and keep going. As good as (Jeremy) Langford was and as productive as he was, I can easily see them having another 1,000-yard back because you have a quarterback (Connor Cook) that threatens defenses down field and you have an offensive line that is going to give him some time. It's set up really well for them to run the ball if they really wanted to."

Feldman also said the return of quarterback Connor Cook and defensive end Shilique Calhoun will pay huge dividends for the Spartans this upcoming season.

"I think it's great for college football," said Feldman on Calhoun returning to school. "We did a piece on him for Fox Sports and I remember this guy could not stop smiling. I think he should be one of those guys that college football should be embracing. He's not going to put up huge numbers individually because they have so many good young defensive linemen around him. Yes, he's the guy they are going to be marking, but other guys are going to be problems for offensive coordinators.

"I expect that defensive line to be really nasty. I know they have a big transition with Pat leaving but I like Mark Snyder, I've known him for years. He and Dantonio go way back and I think he'll be a really good addition and help them on special teams as well. He's produced a lot of good linebackers and I think all those pieces are going to fit pretty well. That's why despite having a bunch of really good players here (at the NFL Combine), I don't think they are going to backslide."

"I think the biggest thing is that you have veteran leadership like Connor, who has played in a lot of big games. Some of the guys on the offensive line have experience as well. If you can have your pick of certain things you can have, you want the experienced quarterback and you want the offensive line. They have a great defensive player to run a good defensive front. Those are big building blocks."

The Spartans will face a daunting schedule in 2015, with games against eight bowl teams from last season, including the inaugural College Football Playoff finalists Ohio State and Oregon.

"Going to Ohio State is not going to be easy, but at least you have an experienced guy to lead you in there," said Feldman. "I'm sure Connor Cook would like nothing better than to go back into his home state and upend Ohio State. Oregon is going to be breaking in a new quarterback. I went out to Eastern Washington to see Vernon Adams and my hunch is he's going to be the starting quarterback, but he's got to adjust to his new teammates and everything else. If they can get revenge and win that game, it's really big for the Big Ten and really big for Michigan State. It would give them momentum, especially considering what they did at the end of that 2014 season."

Michigan State in the midst of winter conditioning and will begin spring practice on Tuesday, March 24.