Three Spartans Invited to NFL Combine
2/9/2022 12:29:00 PM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Three former Michigan State Spartans – tight end Connor Heyward, wide receiver Jalen Nailor and running back Kenneth Walker III – have been invited to the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, scheduled for March 1-7 at Lucas
Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The NFL Scouting Combine (National Invitational Camp) is organized and operated by National Football Scouting, Inc. More than 600 NFL personnel, including head coaches, general managers, scouts and medical staff representing all 32 teams, will attend the Scouting Combine and evaluate a total of 324 of the nation's top college players eligible for the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft through on-field drills, physical testing, psychological exams, as well as formal and informal interviews.
To track official results from the players' workouts, follow at nfl.com/combine.
A total of 60 Michigan State players have been invited to the NFL Combine since 2008.
The 2022 NFL Draft is set for April 28-30 in Las Vegas.
NFL SCOUTING COMBINE: MSU INVITES (60) SINCE 2008 – BY YEAR
2008 (4): RB Jehuu Caulcrick, TE Kellen Davis, WR Devin Thomas, S Nehemiah Warrick
2009 (3): QB Brian Hoyer, RB Javon Ringer, S Otis Wiley
2010 (2): PK Brett Swenson, WR Blair White
2011 (4): WR Mark Dell, TE Charlie Gantt, LB Greg Jones, CB Chris L. Rucker
2012 (6): RB Edwin Baker, QB Kirk Cousins, WR B.J. Cunningham, WR Keshawn Martin, S Trenton Robinson, DT Jerel Worthy
2013 (4): CB Johnny Adams, RB Le'Veon Bell, DE William Gholston, TE Dion Sims
2014 (4): LB Max Bullough, CB Darqueze Dennard, WR Bennie Fowler, S Isaiah Lewis
2015 (6): S Kurtis Drummond, LB Taiwan Jones, RB Jeremy Langford, WR Tony Lippett, WR Keith Mumphery, CB Trae Waynes
2016 (7): C Jack Allen, WR Aaron Burbridge, DE Shilique Calhoun, OT Jack Conklin, QB Connor Cook, DT Joel Heath, DL Lawrence Thomas
2017 (3): LB Riley Bullough, DL Malik McDowell, S Montae Nicholson
2018 (1): OL Brian Allen
2019 (4): WR Felton Davis III, CB Justin Layne, RB LJ Scott, S Khari Willis
2020 (7): LB Joe Bachie, QB Brian Lewerke, CB Josiah Scott, WR Darrell Stewart, WR Cody White, DE Kenny Willekes, DT Raequan Williams
*2021 (2): CB Shakur Brown, DT Naquan Jones
2022 (3): TE Connor Heyward, WR Jalen Nailor, RB Kenneth Walker III
*Brown and Jones officially earned invites to the 2021 NFL Combine, but the in-person event was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
NFL SCOUTING COMBINE: MSU INVITES (60) SINCE 2008 – BY POSITION
QB (4): Brian Hoyer (2009), Kirk Cousins (2012), Connor Cook (2016), Brian Lewerke (2020)
RB (7): Jehuu Caulcrick (2008), Javon Ringer (2009), Edwin Baker (2012), Le'Veon Bell (2013), Jeremy Langford (2015), LJ Scott (2019), Kenneth Walker III (2022)
WR (13): Devin Thomas (2008), Blair White (2010), Mark Dell (2011), B.J. Cunningham (2012), Keshawn Martin (2012), Bennie Fowler (2014), Tony Lippett (2015), Keith Mumphery (2015), Aaron Burbridge (2016), Felton Davis III (2019), Darrell Stewart (2020), Cody White (2020), Jalen Nailor (2022)
OL (3): C Jack Allen (2016), OT Jack Conklin (2016), OL Brian Allen (2018)
TE (4): Kellen Davis (2008), Charlie Gantt (2011), Dion Sims (2013), Connor Heyward (2022)
DL (9): DT Jerel Worthy (2012), DE William Gholston (2013), DE Shilique Calhoun (2016), DT Joel Heath (2016), DL Lawrence Thomas (2016), DL Malik McDowell (2017), DE Kenny Willekes (2020), DT Raequan Williams (2020), DT Naquan Jones* (2021)
LB (5): Greg Jones (2011), Max Bullough (2014), Taiwan Jones (2015), Riley Bullough (2017), Joe Bachie (2020)
DB (14): S Nehemiah Warrick (2008), S Otis Wiley (2009), CB Chris L. Rucker (2011), S Trenton Robinson (2012), CB Johnny Adams (2013), CB Darqueze Dennard (2014), S Isaiah Lewis (2014), S Kurtis Drummond (2015), CB Trae Waynes (2015), S Montae Nicholson (2017), CB Justin Layne (2019), S Khari Willis (2019), CB Josiah Scott (2020), CB Shakur Brown* (2021)
PK (1): Brett Swenson (2010)
Connor Heyward – TE – 6-0 – 230 – Duluth, Ga. – Peachtree Ridge High School
Career Bio (PDF)
CAREER NOTES: Four-year letterwinner played in 49 career games with the Spartans from 2017-21, including 28 starts (eight in 2018, one in 2019, six in 2020, 13 in 2021 / 15 at running back from 2018-20, 13 at tight end in 2021) . . . accepted a Senior Bowl invitation . . . made the position switch from running back to tight end during preseason camp in 2021 . . . finished his career with 2,265 all-purpose yards (825 rushing, 723 kick return, 711 receiving, 6 punt return) . . . scored 11 career touchdowns (six receiving, five rushing) . . . finished his career with 825 rushing yards on 211 carries with five TDs . . . had 96 career receptions for 711 yards and six touchdowns . . . returned 33 kickoffs in his career for 723 yards, ranking No. 16 on MSU career kick return yards list and tied for No. 18 on career kick return list (33) . . . was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award as a sophomore in 2018 . . . graduated in May 2021 with a bachelor's degree in communication.
2021 SEASON (GRADUATE SENIOR): Started all 13 games at tight end after making the position switch from running back in preseason camp . . . led Spartan tight ends and ranked tied for third on the team with a career-high 35 receptions for 326 yards and two TDs . . . earned honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades by both the coaches and media . . . was named the Paul Hornung Watch List . . . played a total of 623 snaps, sixth most on the Spartan offense . . . 17 of the 35 catches went for either first downs or touchdowns . . . closed out his Spartan career in his home state of Georgia, catching five passes for 37 yards, including a 15-yard TD in the fourth quarter that sparked MSU's 11-point comeback win over No. 12 Pitt in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl . . . registered season-high four catches in back-to-back games in Ohio State and Penn State games, after snaring previous season-high of three receptions in five different games, including back-to-back games (Rutgers, Western Kentucky), as part of having at least two catches in last nine consecutive games and in 11 of the 13 games overall . . . tied season high by snaring four catches for a season-high 60 yards, including 40 yards after the catch, in Penn State game, with all four coming on scoring drives, (two TDs, one FG) with two going for first downs . . . logged season-high four catches after starting Ohio State contest, most receptions since five vs. Ohio State in 2020 (12/5/20), finishing with 20 yards . . . caught first TD of season on a 2-yard catch in the second quarter of the Maryland game in only catch of the game . . . collected three catches for a season-high 52 yards at Purdue and second-highest receiving total of career, also including second-longest catch of career with a season-long 35-yard reception in first quarter, ending with two of the three catches going for first downs . . . snared two catches for 10 yards in Michigan game, with both going for first downs and both coming on MSU TD drives, in playing 56 snaps . . . had two receptions for 7 yards at Indiana . . . tallied three catches for 17 yards at Rutgers, with one going for a first down . . . had three catches for 5 yards in Western Kentucky contest, playing 50 snaps . . . started Nebraska game at tight end and had two catches for 39 yards, with both coming on same MSU drive in second quarter, including 24 YAC, with most of them on a highlight-reel 34-yard catch, leaping over and bouncing off defender, then running over another would-be tackler and getting first down, part of playing 43 offensive snaps . . . was starting tight end at Miami and had three catches for 49 yards, with 44 coming after contact, and two going for first downs, along with two coming on TD drives, including a 24-yard reception; also had nice double-block on Jayden Reed's 8-yard TD run to seal the Victory for MSU . . . started at tight end vs. Youngstown State, playing 31 snaps . . . made career debut at tight end, starting in season-opening win at Northwestern, and snared three catches for 28 yards including a diving acrobatic catch, along with a third-down reception, running over and carrying several Northwestern defenders on way to first down, keeping Spartan drive going MSU's second possession of the game, which concluded with a TD and a 14-0 lead . . . added a 5-yard catch on MSU's opening possession of the third quarter, resulting in TD for a 28-7 Spartan advantage.
Jalen Nailor – WR – 6-0 – 190 – Palmdale, Calif. – Bishop Gorman High School
Career Bio (PDF)
CAREER NOTES: Three-year letterwinner finished his Spartan career with 86 receptions for 1,454 yards and 12 TDs in 28 career games from 2018-21, including 21 starts (one in 2018, four in 2019, seven in 2020, nine in 2021) . . . became the 46th Spartan to reach 1,000 career receiving yards in the Western Kentucky game on Oct. 2, 2021 . . . had four career 100-yard receiving outings (vs. Iowa, 11/7/20; vs. Western Kentucky, 10/2/21; vs. Rutgers, 10/9/21; vs. Pittsburgh, 12/30/21) and one 200-yard outing (vs. Rutgers, 10/9/21) . . . versatile playermaker finished with 1,844 career all-purpose yards (1,454 receiving, 179 kick return, 163 rushing, 48 punt return) . . . had 17 carries for 163 yards (9.6 avg) with one rushing TD, along with eight punt returns for 48 yards (6.0 ypr) and nine kick returns for 179 yards . . . closed his career ranked tied for 17th in school history in TD catches (12), 16th in yards per catch (16.9), 28th in receiving yards (1,454) and 41st in receptions (86) . . . MSU had a 20-8 record when Nailor was in the lineup, including a 9-0 mark in 2021 . . . led the Big Ten in yards per catch in 2020 (19.8 avg.) and ranked second in 2021 (18.8 avg.) . . . nickname is "Speedy."
2021 SEASON (REDSHIRT JUNIOR): Despite playing in only nine games, all starts, ranked second on the team with career highs in receptions (37), receiving yards (695) and TD catches (6) . . . started the first eight games of the season, but missed the last four games of the regular season with a hand injury; returned to the starting lineup for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and led MSU with six catches for 108 yards in the win over No. 12 Pitt, his fourth career 100-yard receiving game and third of the season . . . made a spectaular one-handed grab in the second quarter vs. Pitt that went for 50 yards . . . finished the bowl game with a team-high 124 all-purpose yards (108 receiving, 16 kick return) . . . MSU was 9-0 with Nailor in the lineup in 2021 . . . ranked among the Big Ten leaders in yards per catch (second with 18.8 avg.), receiving yards per game (seventh with 77.2), TD catches (tied for seventh with six), receptions per game (tied for 12th with 4.1), all-purpose yards (17th with 86.1 ypg) and receptions (21st with 37) . . . earned honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades by the media . . . ranked third on the team in all-purpose yards with a career-high 773 (695 receiving, 81 kick return, -3 rushing) . . . 28-of-37 (.757) catches went for either first down or touchdown . . . tallied four catches for 75 yards in Michigan game, all coming in the first half, before missing second half with a hand injury . . . three of the four catches against the Wolverines went for first downs, including two setting up MSU TDs, the second coming on a 40-yard pass play on a fourth-and-1 play from midfield, setting up Spartans at the UM 8, and MSU scored on next play . . . had four catches for 22 yards at Indiana, adding 8 kick return yards, taking lateral from Jayden Reed on kickoff . . . earned first career Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week award (10/11/21) for his performance at Rutgers, notching five receptions for a career-high 221 yards (44.2 avg.) and a career-high three touchdowns, tying the MSU record with three touchdown receptions and registering the fourth-most receiving yards in a single game in Michigan State history . . . hauled in touchdown receptions of 63, 63 and 65 yards to account for all the Spartans' first half points and help Michigan State build a 21-13 halftime lead . . . the 221 receiving yards were the fifth most in a Big Ten game this season and tied for 11th most in the FBS . . .became the first Big Ten player to record more than 220 receiving yards and at least three touchdowns since Illinois' A.J. Jenkins caught 12 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns on Oct. 1, 2011 vs. Northwestern . . . the 44.2 yards per reception was the highest YPR in a game by a Big Ten player since 2000 (min. five receptions), bettering previous mark of 41.2 by Spartan legend Charles Rogers (2001 at Wisconsin) . . . also topped the SHI Stadium single-game receiving record by a visiting player of 207 yards held by Larry Fitzgerald of Pittsburgh in 2003 . . . teamed with quarterback Payton Thorne (339 yards passing) and Kenneth Walker III (233 rushing yards) to register the first time in Michigan State program history to have individuals with a 300-yard passing game, 200-yard rushing game and 200-yard receiving in the same game, and MSU becoming only the fifth team in FBS history to accomplish that feat, and first since 2008 . . . had career-high eight catches for 128 yards vs. Western Kentucky, teaming with Jayden Reed (127 yards) to mark the first time two MSU receivers had 100-yard efforts in the same game since Dec. 3, 2011, vs. Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game (B.J. Cunningham, five catches for 115 yards; Keshawn Martin, nine catches for 115 yards) . . . a total of 6-of-8 catches in WKU game went for first downs, including two coming on same scoring drive in fourth quarter, playing in 62 snaps after starting game at wide receiver . . . started Nebraska game and didn't register a reception, adding one kick return for 15 yards, in playing 53 offensive snaps . . . started game at Miami and had four catches for 82 yards and a career-high tying two TDs, both coming in the second half, with an 11-yard TD catch in the third quarter, then a 39-yard TD catch with 4:12 left in the fourth quarter to seal the Victory for MSU . . . started Youngstown State game and had four receptions, for 39 yards, including a 16-yard TD in the third quarter, one of three going for first down or TD . . . started season-opening win at Northwestern, tallying two catches for 20 yards, with both going for first downs, and added one kick return for 12 yards.
Kenneth Walker III – RB – 5-10 – 210 – Arlington, Tenn. – Arlington High School
Career Bio (PDF)
CAREER NOTES: Transfer from Wake Forest joined the Spartan program in January 2021 and made an immediate impact in one record-breaking season in East Lansing . . . played in a total of 32 collegiate games (20 at Wake Forest from 2019-20, 12 at Michigan State in 2021) . . . rushed for 2,794 yards and 35 TDs on 480 carries in his career (1,158 yards and 17 TDs at Wake Forest in 2020-21; 1,636 yards and 18 TDs at MSU in 2021) . . . finished his collegiate career with 3,069 all-purpose yards (1,344 at Wake Forest; 1,725 at MSU) and 36 total TDs (17 rushing at Wake Forest; 18 rushing and one receiving at MSU) . . . had 13 100-yard rushing games in career (two at Wake Forest in 2019; three at Wake Forest in 2020; eight at Michigan State in 2021).
2021 SEASON (JUNIOR AT MICHIGAN STATE): Became the first ever Michigan State player to win the Walter Camp National Player of the Year and the Doak Walker Award . . . finished sixth overall in the Heisman Trophy voting, the best showing for a Spartan since 1988 . . . named a consensus All-American as a unanimous first-team selection (AFCA, Associated Press, Sporting News, FWAA, Walter Camp, ESPN.com, CBS Sports, Phil Steele, Pro Football Focus, The Athletic) . . . named the Big Ten Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year . . . earned first-team All-Big Ten by both coaches and media . . . named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Year by The Associated Press . . . named one of three finalists for the Maxwell Award . . . won the Big Ten rushing title, averaging 136.3 yards per game, and finished the season ranked No. 2 in the FBS and No. 1 in the Power 5 in rushing yards per game (136.3) and total rushing yards (1,636) . . . started all 12 games in the regular season but opted out of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft . . . ranked among MSU's single-season leaders in rushing yards per game (third with 136.3 ypg), rushing yards (fourth with 1,636), points (fourth with 114), total TDs (fourth with 19), rushing TDs (tied for fifth with 18), all-purpose yards (10th with 1,725), rushing average (10th with 6.22 avg.) and carries (11th with 263) . . . led the FBS in rushing for 10 weeks during the regular season . . . also led the Big Ten in all-purpose yards (143.8 ypg) . . . according to Pro Football Focus, led the FBS in rushing yards after contact (1,168) and ranked second with 89 missed forced tackles . . . also ranked among the FBS leaders in 20-plus yard carries (first with 21), 10-plus yard carries (tied for third with 46), yards from scrimmage (sixth with 143.8 ypg), rushing TDs (eighth with 18), carries (eighth with 263), scoring (11th with 9.5 ppg), total TDs (ninth with 19) and rushing yards per carry (15th with 6.2 avg.) . . . in addition to finishing No. 1 in the Big Ten in rushing and all-purpose yards, ranked among the league leaders in rushing TDs (second), scoring (second), total TDs (second) and rushing yards per carry (fourth) . . . had eight 100-yard rushing games, including two for 200-plus yards (264 vs. Northwestern and 233 vs. Rutgers) . . . first carry of Michigan game on Oct. 30 was for 8 yards, putting him over the 1,000-mark for the season . . . became the fastest Spartan to reach 1,000 yards in terms of carries in MSU history (153 carries; previous, Javon Ringer in 2007 with 154) . . . set a school record for longest rushing play with a 94-yard touchdown at Rutgers on Oct. 9, bettering a 90-yard by Lynn Chandnois vs. Arizona in 1949 . . . it was also the longest offensive play from scrimmage in school history, topping the 93-yard pass from Tony Banks to Nigea Carter vs. Indiana in 1994 . . . scored five rushing TDs in win over No. 6 Michigan, the most ever against the Wolverines; that mark also tied for No. 1 in the FBS in a game in 2021 . . . had two of the top-14 single-game rushing performances in the FBS in 2021 (tied for No. 5 with 264 yards at Northwestern; No. 14 with 233 yards at Rutgers) . . . had at least one rushing TD in eight of the 12 games and 18 rushing TDs overall on the season (1.5 rushing TD/game), adding one receiving TD for 19 total TDs (1.6 total TD/game) . . . recorded eighth 100-yard rushing game of the season with 138 yards on a career-high tying 30 carries vs. Penn State, scoring one TD on a 2-yard run in the first quarter, rushing for a long of 35 yards . . . held to season lows in yards (25) and carries (6), and had 29 yards from scrimmage overall (4-yard reception) at Ohio State; only played in one series in the second half for a total of 23 offensive snaps against the Buckeyes . . . collected seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season with 143 yards on a career-high 30 carries vs. Maryland . . . also tallied 172 all-purpose yards (two catches for 29 yards, including season-long 17-yarder) and scored two touchdowns (1 yard in second quarter; 3 yards in fourth quarter) against theTerrapins . . . posted sixth 100-yard rushing outing of the season with 136 yards on 22 carries (6.2 ypc) at Purdue, and scored 15th rushing TD and 16th overall TD of the season with a 14-yard score in the second quarter, adding two catches for 20 yards to finish with 156 all-purpose yards . . . was named the Big Ten Player of the Week, Maxwell Award National Player of the Week, The Athletic National Player of the Week and PFF Player of the Week for standout performance vs. Michigan, rushing for five touchdowns (27 yards and 8 yards in second quarter; 1 yard in third quarter; 58 yards and 23 yards in fourth quarter), the most ever against Michigan . . . according to PFF, was the highest-graded single-game rushing grade vs. Michigan in the PFF College Era (90.8), bettering previous mark of Dalvin Cook of Florida State (88.4) in 2016 and Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin (81.6) in 2019 . . . the five TDs tied for the second most in school history (record: six by Blake Ezor vs. Northwestern in 1989; five by Javon Ringer vs. Eastern Michigan in 2008) . . . the five rushing TDs were the most by any player in the 114-game history of the rivalry . . . three rushing TDs came in second half alone on a Michigan defense that came into game only allowing only three rushing TDs all season . . . rushed for 197 yards on 23 carries (8.6 avg.), the third most by a Spartan against Michigan (T.J. Duckett with 211 yards in 2001; DeAndra Cobb with 205 in 2004) . . . also had three catches for 11 yards for 208 all-purpose yards . . . had 23 carries for 84 yards at Indiana . . . finished game at Rutgers with 24 carries for 233 yards, highlighted by a school-record 94-yard run that was the longest rush in SHI Stadium history overall by any player home or visitor, bettering the previous record of 91 yards by Mohamed Sanu of Rutgers vs. Tulane in 2010, and added one reception for 13 yards to finish with 246 all-purpose yards . . . in win over Rutgers, teamed with quarterback Payton Thorne (339 yards passing) and wide receiver Jalen Nailor (221 yards receiving) to register the first time in Michigan State program history to have individuals with a 300-yard passing game, 200-yard rushing game and 200-yard receiving in the same game, with MSU becoming only the fifth team in FBS history to accomplish that feat, and first since 2008 . . . posted third 100-yard rushing game of the season with 126 yards on 24 carries in Western Kentucky contest, scoring three touchdowns in the first half (5, 5 and 3 yards) . . . had 19 carries for 61 yards against Nebraska, including a 23-yard gain on MSU's first play in OT, setting up game-winning field goal . . . registered second 100-yard rushing outing of the season, with 172 yards on 27 carries at Miami, and recorded first reception of the season with a second-quarter catch and later snared the first TD reception of his collegiate career with a 7-yard TD pass from Thorne, finishing game with three catches for 17 yards and a TD . . . had seven carries for 57 yards (8.1 ypc) with a 6-yard TD rush in limited action against Youngstown State, pushing and carrying several YSU defenders with him to the end zone . . . was named the Big Ten Player of the Week and Maxwell Award National Player of the Week after erupting onto the scene in Spartan debut, taking handoff on opening offensive play of game and scampering 75 yards for opening TD, the first of four rushing touchdowns and ending with career-high 264 yards – the seventh-highest total in MSU history – on 23 carries . . . it marked the most rushing yards by a Spartan in a debut wearing the Green and White . . . was the first time a Spartan scored four rushing TDs in a game since Edwin Baker in 2010 vs. Minnesota . . . according to ESPN Stats and Information, became the first Big Ten running back with 250-plus rushing yards and four rushing TDs in a single game since Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin) in 2014 . . . according to Sports Info Solutions, since they began tracking yards after contact in 2016, no Big Ten running back generated more in a conference game than his 187 in Northwestern game, bettering previous top mark of 185 by Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin) in 2017 and 182 by Saquon Barkley (Penn State) . . . was the first Spartan to record more than 200 rushing yards in a game since Le'Veon Bell (2012 at Minnesota, 266 yards) . . . the 264 yards were the most by a Spartan running back in an MSU season opener.
Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The NFL Scouting Combine (National Invitational Camp) is organized and operated by National Football Scouting, Inc. More than 600 NFL personnel, including head coaches, general managers, scouts and medical staff representing all 32 teams, will attend the Scouting Combine and evaluate a total of 324 of the nation's top college players eligible for the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft through on-field drills, physical testing, psychological exams, as well as formal and informal interviews.
To track official results from the players' workouts, follow at nfl.com/combine.
A total of 60 Michigan State players have been invited to the NFL Combine since 2008.
The 2022 NFL Draft is set for April 28-30 in Las Vegas.
NFL SCOUTING COMBINE: MSU INVITES (60) SINCE 2008 – BY YEAR
2008 (4): RB Jehuu Caulcrick, TE Kellen Davis, WR Devin Thomas, S Nehemiah Warrick
2009 (3): QB Brian Hoyer, RB Javon Ringer, S Otis Wiley
2010 (2): PK Brett Swenson, WR Blair White
2011 (4): WR Mark Dell, TE Charlie Gantt, LB Greg Jones, CB Chris L. Rucker
2012 (6): RB Edwin Baker, QB Kirk Cousins, WR B.J. Cunningham, WR Keshawn Martin, S Trenton Robinson, DT Jerel Worthy
2013 (4): CB Johnny Adams, RB Le'Veon Bell, DE William Gholston, TE Dion Sims
2014 (4): LB Max Bullough, CB Darqueze Dennard, WR Bennie Fowler, S Isaiah Lewis
2015 (6): S Kurtis Drummond, LB Taiwan Jones, RB Jeremy Langford, WR Tony Lippett, WR Keith Mumphery, CB Trae Waynes
2016 (7): C Jack Allen, WR Aaron Burbridge, DE Shilique Calhoun, OT Jack Conklin, QB Connor Cook, DT Joel Heath, DL Lawrence Thomas
2017 (3): LB Riley Bullough, DL Malik McDowell, S Montae Nicholson
2018 (1): OL Brian Allen
2019 (4): WR Felton Davis III, CB Justin Layne, RB LJ Scott, S Khari Willis
2020 (7): LB Joe Bachie, QB Brian Lewerke, CB Josiah Scott, WR Darrell Stewart, WR Cody White, DE Kenny Willekes, DT Raequan Williams
*2021 (2): CB Shakur Brown, DT Naquan Jones
2022 (3): TE Connor Heyward, WR Jalen Nailor, RB Kenneth Walker III
*Brown and Jones officially earned invites to the 2021 NFL Combine, but the in-person event was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
NFL SCOUTING COMBINE: MSU INVITES (60) SINCE 2008 – BY POSITION
QB (4): Brian Hoyer (2009), Kirk Cousins (2012), Connor Cook (2016), Brian Lewerke (2020)
RB (7): Jehuu Caulcrick (2008), Javon Ringer (2009), Edwin Baker (2012), Le'Veon Bell (2013), Jeremy Langford (2015), LJ Scott (2019), Kenneth Walker III (2022)
WR (13): Devin Thomas (2008), Blair White (2010), Mark Dell (2011), B.J. Cunningham (2012), Keshawn Martin (2012), Bennie Fowler (2014), Tony Lippett (2015), Keith Mumphery (2015), Aaron Burbridge (2016), Felton Davis III (2019), Darrell Stewart (2020), Cody White (2020), Jalen Nailor (2022)
OL (3): C Jack Allen (2016), OT Jack Conklin (2016), OL Brian Allen (2018)
TE (4): Kellen Davis (2008), Charlie Gantt (2011), Dion Sims (2013), Connor Heyward (2022)
DL (9): DT Jerel Worthy (2012), DE William Gholston (2013), DE Shilique Calhoun (2016), DT Joel Heath (2016), DL Lawrence Thomas (2016), DL Malik McDowell (2017), DE Kenny Willekes (2020), DT Raequan Williams (2020), DT Naquan Jones* (2021)
LB (5): Greg Jones (2011), Max Bullough (2014), Taiwan Jones (2015), Riley Bullough (2017), Joe Bachie (2020)
DB (14): S Nehemiah Warrick (2008), S Otis Wiley (2009), CB Chris L. Rucker (2011), S Trenton Robinson (2012), CB Johnny Adams (2013), CB Darqueze Dennard (2014), S Isaiah Lewis (2014), S Kurtis Drummond (2015), CB Trae Waynes (2015), S Montae Nicholson (2017), CB Justin Layne (2019), S Khari Willis (2019), CB Josiah Scott (2020), CB Shakur Brown* (2021)
PK (1): Brett Swenson (2010)
Connor Heyward – TE – 6-0 – 230 – Duluth, Ga. – Peachtree Ridge High School
Career Bio (PDF)
CAREER NOTES: Four-year letterwinner played in 49 career games with the Spartans from 2017-21, including 28 starts (eight in 2018, one in 2019, six in 2020, 13 in 2021 / 15 at running back from 2018-20, 13 at tight end in 2021) . . . accepted a Senior Bowl invitation . . . made the position switch from running back to tight end during preseason camp in 2021 . . . finished his career with 2,265 all-purpose yards (825 rushing, 723 kick return, 711 receiving, 6 punt return) . . . scored 11 career touchdowns (six receiving, five rushing) . . . finished his career with 825 rushing yards on 211 carries with five TDs . . . had 96 career receptions for 711 yards and six touchdowns . . . returned 33 kickoffs in his career for 723 yards, ranking No. 16 on MSU career kick return yards list and tied for No. 18 on career kick return list (33) . . . was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award as a sophomore in 2018 . . . graduated in May 2021 with a bachelor's degree in communication.
2021 SEASON (GRADUATE SENIOR): Started all 13 games at tight end after making the position switch from running back in preseason camp . . . led Spartan tight ends and ranked tied for third on the team with a career-high 35 receptions for 326 yards and two TDs . . . earned honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades by both the coaches and media . . . was named the Paul Hornung Watch List . . . played a total of 623 snaps, sixth most on the Spartan offense . . . 17 of the 35 catches went for either first downs or touchdowns . . . closed out his Spartan career in his home state of Georgia, catching five passes for 37 yards, including a 15-yard TD in the fourth quarter that sparked MSU's 11-point comeback win over No. 12 Pitt in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl . . . registered season-high four catches in back-to-back games in Ohio State and Penn State games, after snaring previous season-high of three receptions in five different games, including back-to-back games (Rutgers, Western Kentucky), as part of having at least two catches in last nine consecutive games and in 11 of the 13 games overall . . . tied season high by snaring four catches for a season-high 60 yards, including 40 yards after the catch, in Penn State game, with all four coming on scoring drives, (two TDs, one FG) with two going for first downs . . . logged season-high four catches after starting Ohio State contest, most receptions since five vs. Ohio State in 2020 (12/5/20), finishing with 20 yards . . . caught first TD of season on a 2-yard catch in the second quarter of the Maryland game in only catch of the game . . . collected three catches for a season-high 52 yards at Purdue and second-highest receiving total of career, also including second-longest catch of career with a season-long 35-yard reception in first quarter, ending with two of the three catches going for first downs . . . snared two catches for 10 yards in Michigan game, with both going for first downs and both coming on MSU TD drives, in playing 56 snaps . . . had two receptions for 7 yards at Indiana . . . tallied three catches for 17 yards at Rutgers, with one going for a first down . . . had three catches for 5 yards in Western Kentucky contest, playing 50 snaps . . . started Nebraska game at tight end and had two catches for 39 yards, with both coming on same MSU drive in second quarter, including 24 YAC, with most of them on a highlight-reel 34-yard catch, leaping over and bouncing off defender, then running over another would-be tackler and getting first down, part of playing 43 offensive snaps . . . was starting tight end at Miami and had three catches for 49 yards, with 44 coming after contact, and two going for first downs, along with two coming on TD drives, including a 24-yard reception; also had nice double-block on Jayden Reed's 8-yard TD run to seal the Victory for MSU . . . started at tight end vs. Youngstown State, playing 31 snaps . . . made career debut at tight end, starting in season-opening win at Northwestern, and snared three catches for 28 yards including a diving acrobatic catch, along with a third-down reception, running over and carrying several Northwestern defenders on way to first down, keeping Spartan drive going MSU's second possession of the game, which concluded with a TD and a 14-0 lead . . . added a 5-yard catch on MSU's opening possession of the third quarter, resulting in TD for a 28-7 Spartan advantage.
Jalen Nailor – WR – 6-0 – 190 – Palmdale, Calif. – Bishop Gorman High School
Career Bio (PDF)
CAREER NOTES: Three-year letterwinner finished his Spartan career with 86 receptions for 1,454 yards and 12 TDs in 28 career games from 2018-21, including 21 starts (one in 2018, four in 2019, seven in 2020, nine in 2021) . . . became the 46th Spartan to reach 1,000 career receiving yards in the Western Kentucky game on Oct. 2, 2021 . . . had four career 100-yard receiving outings (vs. Iowa, 11/7/20; vs. Western Kentucky, 10/2/21; vs. Rutgers, 10/9/21; vs. Pittsburgh, 12/30/21) and one 200-yard outing (vs. Rutgers, 10/9/21) . . . versatile playermaker finished with 1,844 career all-purpose yards (1,454 receiving, 179 kick return, 163 rushing, 48 punt return) . . . had 17 carries for 163 yards (9.6 avg) with one rushing TD, along with eight punt returns for 48 yards (6.0 ypr) and nine kick returns for 179 yards . . . closed his career ranked tied for 17th in school history in TD catches (12), 16th in yards per catch (16.9), 28th in receiving yards (1,454) and 41st in receptions (86) . . . MSU had a 20-8 record when Nailor was in the lineup, including a 9-0 mark in 2021 . . . led the Big Ten in yards per catch in 2020 (19.8 avg.) and ranked second in 2021 (18.8 avg.) . . . nickname is "Speedy."
2021 SEASON (REDSHIRT JUNIOR): Despite playing in only nine games, all starts, ranked second on the team with career highs in receptions (37), receiving yards (695) and TD catches (6) . . . started the first eight games of the season, but missed the last four games of the regular season with a hand injury; returned to the starting lineup for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and led MSU with six catches for 108 yards in the win over No. 12 Pitt, his fourth career 100-yard receiving game and third of the season . . . made a spectaular one-handed grab in the second quarter vs. Pitt that went for 50 yards . . . finished the bowl game with a team-high 124 all-purpose yards (108 receiving, 16 kick return) . . . MSU was 9-0 with Nailor in the lineup in 2021 . . . ranked among the Big Ten leaders in yards per catch (second with 18.8 avg.), receiving yards per game (seventh with 77.2), TD catches (tied for seventh with six), receptions per game (tied for 12th with 4.1), all-purpose yards (17th with 86.1 ypg) and receptions (21st with 37) . . . earned honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades by the media . . . ranked third on the team in all-purpose yards with a career-high 773 (695 receiving, 81 kick return, -3 rushing) . . . 28-of-37 (.757) catches went for either first down or touchdown . . . tallied four catches for 75 yards in Michigan game, all coming in the first half, before missing second half with a hand injury . . . three of the four catches against the Wolverines went for first downs, including two setting up MSU TDs, the second coming on a 40-yard pass play on a fourth-and-1 play from midfield, setting up Spartans at the UM 8, and MSU scored on next play . . . had four catches for 22 yards at Indiana, adding 8 kick return yards, taking lateral from Jayden Reed on kickoff . . . earned first career Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week award (10/11/21) for his performance at Rutgers, notching five receptions for a career-high 221 yards (44.2 avg.) and a career-high three touchdowns, tying the MSU record with three touchdown receptions and registering the fourth-most receiving yards in a single game in Michigan State history . . . hauled in touchdown receptions of 63, 63 and 65 yards to account for all the Spartans' first half points and help Michigan State build a 21-13 halftime lead . . . the 221 receiving yards were the fifth most in a Big Ten game this season and tied for 11th most in the FBS . . .became the first Big Ten player to record more than 220 receiving yards and at least three touchdowns since Illinois' A.J. Jenkins caught 12 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns on Oct. 1, 2011 vs. Northwestern . . . the 44.2 yards per reception was the highest YPR in a game by a Big Ten player since 2000 (min. five receptions), bettering previous mark of 41.2 by Spartan legend Charles Rogers (2001 at Wisconsin) . . . also topped the SHI Stadium single-game receiving record by a visiting player of 207 yards held by Larry Fitzgerald of Pittsburgh in 2003 . . . teamed with quarterback Payton Thorne (339 yards passing) and Kenneth Walker III (233 rushing yards) to register the first time in Michigan State program history to have individuals with a 300-yard passing game, 200-yard rushing game and 200-yard receiving in the same game, and MSU becoming only the fifth team in FBS history to accomplish that feat, and first since 2008 . . . had career-high eight catches for 128 yards vs. Western Kentucky, teaming with Jayden Reed (127 yards) to mark the first time two MSU receivers had 100-yard efforts in the same game since Dec. 3, 2011, vs. Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game (B.J. Cunningham, five catches for 115 yards; Keshawn Martin, nine catches for 115 yards) . . . a total of 6-of-8 catches in WKU game went for first downs, including two coming on same scoring drive in fourth quarter, playing in 62 snaps after starting game at wide receiver . . . started Nebraska game and didn't register a reception, adding one kick return for 15 yards, in playing 53 offensive snaps . . . started game at Miami and had four catches for 82 yards and a career-high tying two TDs, both coming in the second half, with an 11-yard TD catch in the third quarter, then a 39-yard TD catch with 4:12 left in the fourth quarter to seal the Victory for MSU . . . started Youngstown State game and had four receptions, for 39 yards, including a 16-yard TD in the third quarter, one of three going for first down or TD . . . started season-opening win at Northwestern, tallying two catches for 20 yards, with both going for first downs, and added one kick return for 12 yards.
Kenneth Walker III – RB – 5-10 – 210 – Arlington, Tenn. – Arlington High School
Career Bio (PDF)
CAREER NOTES: Transfer from Wake Forest joined the Spartan program in January 2021 and made an immediate impact in one record-breaking season in East Lansing . . . played in a total of 32 collegiate games (20 at Wake Forest from 2019-20, 12 at Michigan State in 2021) . . . rushed for 2,794 yards and 35 TDs on 480 carries in his career (1,158 yards and 17 TDs at Wake Forest in 2020-21; 1,636 yards and 18 TDs at MSU in 2021) . . . finished his collegiate career with 3,069 all-purpose yards (1,344 at Wake Forest; 1,725 at MSU) and 36 total TDs (17 rushing at Wake Forest; 18 rushing and one receiving at MSU) . . . had 13 100-yard rushing games in career (two at Wake Forest in 2019; three at Wake Forest in 2020; eight at Michigan State in 2021).
2021 SEASON (JUNIOR AT MICHIGAN STATE): Became the first ever Michigan State player to win the Walter Camp National Player of the Year and the Doak Walker Award . . . finished sixth overall in the Heisman Trophy voting, the best showing for a Spartan since 1988 . . . named a consensus All-American as a unanimous first-team selection (AFCA, Associated Press, Sporting News, FWAA, Walter Camp, ESPN.com, CBS Sports, Phil Steele, Pro Football Focus, The Athletic) . . . named the Big Ten Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year . . . earned first-team All-Big Ten by both coaches and media . . . named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Year by The Associated Press . . . named one of three finalists for the Maxwell Award . . . won the Big Ten rushing title, averaging 136.3 yards per game, and finished the season ranked No. 2 in the FBS and No. 1 in the Power 5 in rushing yards per game (136.3) and total rushing yards (1,636) . . . started all 12 games in the regular season but opted out of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft . . . ranked among MSU's single-season leaders in rushing yards per game (third with 136.3 ypg), rushing yards (fourth with 1,636), points (fourth with 114), total TDs (fourth with 19), rushing TDs (tied for fifth with 18), all-purpose yards (10th with 1,725), rushing average (10th with 6.22 avg.) and carries (11th with 263) . . . led the FBS in rushing for 10 weeks during the regular season . . . also led the Big Ten in all-purpose yards (143.8 ypg) . . . according to Pro Football Focus, led the FBS in rushing yards after contact (1,168) and ranked second with 89 missed forced tackles . . . also ranked among the FBS leaders in 20-plus yard carries (first with 21), 10-plus yard carries (tied for third with 46), yards from scrimmage (sixth with 143.8 ypg), rushing TDs (eighth with 18), carries (eighth with 263), scoring (11th with 9.5 ppg), total TDs (ninth with 19) and rushing yards per carry (15th with 6.2 avg.) . . . in addition to finishing No. 1 in the Big Ten in rushing and all-purpose yards, ranked among the league leaders in rushing TDs (second), scoring (second), total TDs (second) and rushing yards per carry (fourth) . . . had eight 100-yard rushing games, including two for 200-plus yards (264 vs. Northwestern and 233 vs. Rutgers) . . . first carry of Michigan game on Oct. 30 was for 8 yards, putting him over the 1,000-mark for the season . . . became the fastest Spartan to reach 1,000 yards in terms of carries in MSU history (153 carries; previous, Javon Ringer in 2007 with 154) . . . set a school record for longest rushing play with a 94-yard touchdown at Rutgers on Oct. 9, bettering a 90-yard by Lynn Chandnois vs. Arizona in 1949 . . . it was also the longest offensive play from scrimmage in school history, topping the 93-yard pass from Tony Banks to Nigea Carter vs. Indiana in 1994 . . . scored five rushing TDs in win over No. 6 Michigan, the most ever against the Wolverines; that mark also tied for No. 1 in the FBS in a game in 2021 . . . had two of the top-14 single-game rushing performances in the FBS in 2021 (tied for No. 5 with 264 yards at Northwestern; No. 14 with 233 yards at Rutgers) . . . had at least one rushing TD in eight of the 12 games and 18 rushing TDs overall on the season (1.5 rushing TD/game), adding one receiving TD for 19 total TDs (1.6 total TD/game) . . . recorded eighth 100-yard rushing game of the season with 138 yards on a career-high tying 30 carries vs. Penn State, scoring one TD on a 2-yard run in the first quarter, rushing for a long of 35 yards . . . held to season lows in yards (25) and carries (6), and had 29 yards from scrimmage overall (4-yard reception) at Ohio State; only played in one series in the second half for a total of 23 offensive snaps against the Buckeyes . . . collected seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season with 143 yards on a career-high 30 carries vs. Maryland . . . also tallied 172 all-purpose yards (two catches for 29 yards, including season-long 17-yarder) and scored two touchdowns (1 yard in second quarter; 3 yards in fourth quarter) against theTerrapins . . . posted sixth 100-yard rushing outing of the season with 136 yards on 22 carries (6.2 ypc) at Purdue, and scored 15th rushing TD and 16th overall TD of the season with a 14-yard score in the second quarter, adding two catches for 20 yards to finish with 156 all-purpose yards . . . was named the Big Ten Player of the Week, Maxwell Award National Player of the Week, The Athletic National Player of the Week and PFF Player of the Week for standout performance vs. Michigan, rushing for five touchdowns (27 yards and 8 yards in second quarter; 1 yard in third quarter; 58 yards and 23 yards in fourth quarter), the most ever against Michigan . . . according to PFF, was the highest-graded single-game rushing grade vs. Michigan in the PFF College Era (90.8), bettering previous mark of Dalvin Cook of Florida State (88.4) in 2016 and Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin (81.6) in 2019 . . . the five TDs tied for the second most in school history (record: six by Blake Ezor vs. Northwestern in 1989; five by Javon Ringer vs. Eastern Michigan in 2008) . . . the five rushing TDs were the most by any player in the 114-game history of the rivalry . . . three rushing TDs came in second half alone on a Michigan defense that came into game only allowing only three rushing TDs all season . . . rushed for 197 yards on 23 carries (8.6 avg.), the third most by a Spartan against Michigan (T.J. Duckett with 211 yards in 2001; DeAndra Cobb with 205 in 2004) . . . also had three catches for 11 yards for 208 all-purpose yards . . . had 23 carries for 84 yards at Indiana . . . finished game at Rutgers with 24 carries for 233 yards, highlighted by a school-record 94-yard run that was the longest rush in SHI Stadium history overall by any player home or visitor, bettering the previous record of 91 yards by Mohamed Sanu of Rutgers vs. Tulane in 2010, and added one reception for 13 yards to finish with 246 all-purpose yards . . . in win over Rutgers, teamed with quarterback Payton Thorne (339 yards passing) and wide receiver Jalen Nailor (221 yards receiving) to register the first time in Michigan State program history to have individuals with a 300-yard passing game, 200-yard rushing game and 200-yard receiving in the same game, with MSU becoming only the fifth team in FBS history to accomplish that feat, and first since 2008 . . . posted third 100-yard rushing game of the season with 126 yards on 24 carries in Western Kentucky contest, scoring three touchdowns in the first half (5, 5 and 3 yards) . . . had 19 carries for 61 yards against Nebraska, including a 23-yard gain on MSU's first play in OT, setting up game-winning field goal . . . registered second 100-yard rushing outing of the season, with 172 yards on 27 carries at Miami, and recorded first reception of the season with a second-quarter catch and later snared the first TD reception of his collegiate career with a 7-yard TD pass from Thorne, finishing game with three catches for 17 yards and a TD . . . had seven carries for 57 yards (8.1 ypc) with a 6-yard TD rush in limited action against Youngstown State, pushing and carrying several YSU defenders with him to the end zone . . . was named the Big Ten Player of the Week and Maxwell Award National Player of the Week after erupting onto the scene in Spartan debut, taking handoff on opening offensive play of game and scampering 75 yards for opening TD, the first of four rushing touchdowns and ending with career-high 264 yards – the seventh-highest total in MSU history – on 23 carries . . . it marked the most rushing yards by a Spartan in a debut wearing the Green and White . . . was the first time a Spartan scored four rushing TDs in a game since Edwin Baker in 2010 vs. Minnesota . . . according to ESPN Stats and Information, became the first Big Ten running back with 250-plus rushing yards and four rushing TDs in a single game since Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin) in 2014 . . . according to Sports Info Solutions, since they began tracking yards after contact in 2016, no Big Ten running back generated more in a conference game than his 187 in Northwestern game, bettering previous top mark of 185 by Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin) in 2017 and 182 by Saquon Barkley (Penn State) . . . was the first Spartan to record more than 200 rushing yards in a game since Le'Veon Bell (2012 at Minnesota, 266 yards) . . . the 264 yards were the most by a Spartan running back in an MSU season opener.
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