Ameer Speed Selected in Sixth Round of NFL Draft by New England Patriots; Three Spartans Drafted Overall
4/29/2023 5:50:00 PM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State graduate transfer cornerback Ameer Speed was selected in the sixth round (No. 214 overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots on Saturday, April 29.
Michigan State finished with three draft selections overall. In addition to Speed, wide receiver Jayden Reed (Green Bay, second round, No. 50 overall) and punter Bryce Baringer (New England, sixth round, No. 192 overall) were also drafted.
Since the common NFL Draft era began in 1967, MSU has had at least one player selected in 56 of the 57 drafts. Seven Spartans have been drafted in the past two years (2022: running back Kenneth Walker III, Seattle, second round, No. 41 overall; wide receiver Jalen Nailor, Minnesota, sixth round, No. 191 overall; tight end Connor Heyward, Pittsburgh, sixth round, No. 208 overall; offensive tackle AJ Arcuri, Los Angeles Rams, seventh round, No. 261 overall).
A graduate transfer from Georgia, Speed joined the Spartans in January 2022 and played in all 12 games for Michigan State last season, including 11 starts at cornerback. He registered a career-high 62 tackles (36 solo, 26 assists) with one tackle for loss (2 yards) and ranked second on the team with five pass break-ups. He played a total of 737 snaps, third most on the defense, in addition to 87 plays on special teams.
"It was special," said Speed upon receiving the call from the Patriots that he was being drafted by New England. "Just sitting here, enjoying it with my family, we were watching the draft and seeing a lot of my friends go, and it's just a blessing to have your name called. Every guy dreams of it when they start playing football, so to experience that moment is amazing."
Speed collected a career-high tying 12 tackles to go with one pass break-up at Illinois in playing 87 of 88 defensive plays during MSU's victory over the No. 14 Fighting Illini on Nov. 5. He also posted 12 stops and played all 78 defensive snaps at Maryland on Oct. 1.
"My decision to transfer to Michigan State had a lot to do with Coach Tucker," said Speed. "Coach Tucker and Coach Barnett, those are the two coaches I was deciding between coming out of high school. So the fact that those two guys were together felt like the perfect opportunity to come in and help them be able to help on special teams and defense, and just have a chance to play DB, and they gave me the opportunity to do that and be a player, and I thank them for that, and I'm very blessed, because it helped me be where I am today."
Following the 2022 season, Speed earned an invitation to the 2023 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Pasadena, California. He participated at Georgia's Pro Day in March.
Speed was a member of the 2021 National Champion Bulldogs, playing 13 of 15 games, including three starts to begin the season (Clemson, UAB, South Carolina). He finished the 2021 season with 13 tackles and played a total of 181 snaps on defense and 201 on special teams.
A four-year letterwinner at Georgia (2017, 2019-21), Speed played in 48 games for the Bulldogs. Overall, Speed had 87 tackles in 60 career games (48 at UGA; 12 at MSU), including 14 starts at cornerback (three at UGA in 2021; 11 at MSU in 2022). He graduated from Georgia in the fall of 2021 with a bachelor's degree in sociology.
Michigan State finished with three draft selections overall. In addition to Speed, wide receiver Jayden Reed (Green Bay, second round, No. 50 overall) and punter Bryce Baringer (New England, sixth round, No. 192 overall) were also drafted.
Since the common NFL Draft era began in 1967, MSU has had at least one player selected in 56 of the 57 drafts. Seven Spartans have been drafted in the past two years (2022: running back Kenneth Walker III, Seattle, second round, No. 41 overall; wide receiver Jalen Nailor, Minnesota, sixth round, No. 191 overall; tight end Connor Heyward, Pittsburgh, sixth round, No. 208 overall; offensive tackle AJ Arcuri, Los Angeles Rams, seventh round, No. 261 overall).
Ameer Speed is headed to the @patriots!#RELENTLESS pic.twitter.com/Xt69IilHE5— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) April 29, 2023
A graduate transfer from Georgia, Speed joined the Spartans in January 2022 and played in all 12 games for Michigan State last season, including 11 starts at cornerback. He registered a career-high 62 tackles (36 solo, 26 assists) with one tackle for loss (2 yards) and ranked second on the team with five pass break-ups. He played a total of 737 snaps, third most on the defense, in addition to 87 plays on special teams.
"It was special," said Speed upon receiving the call from the Patriots that he was being drafted by New England. "Just sitting here, enjoying it with my family, we were watching the draft and seeing a lot of my friends go, and it's just a blessing to have your name called. Every guy dreams of it when they start playing football, so to experience that moment is amazing."
Speed collected a career-high tying 12 tackles to go with one pass break-up at Illinois in playing 87 of 88 defensive plays during MSU's victory over the No. 14 Fighting Illini on Nov. 5. He also posted 12 stops and played all 78 defensive snaps at Maryland on Oct. 1.
Need for Speed.@OG__speed | #ForeverNE pic.twitter.com/WFvMFc0mOl— New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 29, 2023
"My decision to transfer to Michigan State had a lot to do with Coach Tucker," said Speed. "Coach Tucker and Coach Barnett, those are the two coaches I was deciding between coming out of high school. So the fact that those two guys were together felt like the perfect opportunity to come in and help them be able to help on special teams and defense, and just have a chance to play DB, and they gave me the opportunity to do that and be a player, and I thank them for that, and I'm very blessed, because it helped me be where I am today."
Following the 2022 season, Speed earned an invitation to the 2023 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Pasadena, California. He participated at Georgia's Pro Day in March.
I am Speed.@OG__speed | @MSU_Football pic.twitter.com/vDYeXQ6hkM— New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 29, 2023
Speed was a member of the 2021 National Champion Bulldogs, playing 13 of 15 games, including three starts to begin the season (Clemson, UAB, South Carolina). He finished the 2021 season with 13 tackles and played a total of 181 snaps on defense and 201 on special teams.
A four-year letterwinner at Georgia (2017, 2019-21), Speed played in 48 games for the Bulldogs. Overall, Speed had 87 tackles in 60 career games (48 at UGA; 12 at MSU), including 14 starts at cornerback (three at UGA in 2021; 11 at MSU in 2022). He graduated from Georgia in the fall of 2021 with a bachelor's degree in sociology.
Next Stop: @NFL!
Congrats to Jayden, Bryce and Ameer on being drafted into the NFL.#RELENTLESS pic.twitter.com/UYRqlFo0Pn— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) April 29, 2023
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