Nick Samac Selected by Baltimore Ravens in Seventh Round of NFL Draft

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State center Nick Samac was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the seventh round (No. 228 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday, April 27.

A five-year letterwinner, Samac played in 49 career games for the Spartans, including 32 starts at center (four in 2019, six in 2020, 12 in 2022, 10 in 2023). The Mentor, Ohio, native played nearly 2,500 snaps (2,427) at center during his five-year Spartan career and was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten choice (2022, 2023). He graduated in December 2022 with a bachelor's degree in communication.

Samac played in 11 games as a fifth-year graduate senior in 2023, including 10 starts, but suffered a season-ending injury on Nov. 18 vs. Indiana that forced him to miss a majority of on-field NFL Draft prep in the offseason. He still earned an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl and the NFL Combine and was able to talk with NFL personnel throughout the draft process, leading him to getting drafted by the Ravens.

The pick is in … @nickysamac is a Raven!#NFLDraft x #GoGreen pic.twitter.com/2H72GTZ7qZ
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) April 27, 2024

"I'm blessed to be a part of an amazing organization and prove to everybody that this was a great pick," said Samac. "It's definitely been a journey throughout my last year, just been doing everything to get back right, and I'll be on a good path. I'm kind of speechless.

"I've always prided myself on being the best I can be every single day and never changing who I am…(Baltimore) has a great o-line and a great team, and I'm excited to be a part of that group, fit in, and get to work."

Samac watched the draft with his family over the weekend.

"It's been a long weekend waiting to hear my name called, so when that call came in, you're never really 100 percent sure of what's going to happen, and it was getting close to the end," Samac said. "So when I got that phone call and I was told the news, I started to get a little shaky and a little emotional. Anytime I'm in a moment like that, my dad touches my shoulder and my back, and I instantly break down, so it was a great moment to be right next to my mom (Tammy) and dad (Joe) during that experience. Speechless like I said...I'm still trying to take it all in."

"You okay playing for a Harbaugh??"

Inside @nickysamac's emotional draft call 🥺 pic.twitter.com/am7b9iAKFm
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 28, 2024

Samac earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors for the second year in a row in 2023 and played a total of 579 snaps at center. He served as a game captain for five games, including Senior Day vs. Nebraska as he helped lead the Spartans to a win over the Cornhuskers.

As a fourth-year senior in 2022, Samac started all 12 games at center and picked up honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades by the coaches and media. He split time at center with Matt Allen on MSU's 11-2 team in 2021 that won the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and finished No. 9 in the AP Poll.

During his sophomore year in 2020, Samac drew six starting assignments in the pandemic-shortened seven-game season, and he played in seven games, including four starts, as a true freshman under Mark Dantonio in 2019.

Samac is the first Spartan center to be selected in the NFL Draft since Brian Allen was a fourth-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in 2018.

Since the common NFL Draft era began in 1967, MSU has had a player selected in 57 of the 58 drafts.