STARKVILLE — While no Mississippi State players heard their names called during the first round of the NFL draft Thursday night, there remains ample professional talent among the Bulldog contingent.
Since 2010, 26 former MSU players have been taken in rounds 2-7. For the purposes of this piece, we’re qualifying “value” as anyone not selected in the first round relative to their eventual NFL futures.
With that in mind, let’s dive right in:
QB Dak Prescott — Dallas Cowboys
Round 4, Pick 135 (2016)
Five years on from MSU’s magical run to the first No. 1 ranking in the College Football Playoff poll’s brief history, quarterback Dak Prescott has become synonymous with the program. In four years in Starkville, Prescott threw for 9,376 yards, 70 touchdowns and just 23 interceptions.
A dynamic runner, he also finished just 14 yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark in 2014 and totaled 2,521 yards on the ground during his career.
Entering the 2015 draft, Prescott was seen as a bit of a project, but he quickly blossomed into the Cowboys’ franchise quarterback. A two-time Pro Bowler and the 2016 Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year, Prescott has blossomed into one of the elite signal caller’s in the game.
DL Chris Jones — Kansas City Chiefs
Round 2, Pick 37 (2016)
To call Chris Jones a complete steal is probably overselling it given that he was the fifth pick of the second round in 2016. A college teammate of Prescott’s, Jones has started 41 of his 61 career games for the Chiefs — totaling 136 tackles and 33 sacks. A major snub following his 15.5 sack campaign in 2018, the Houston, Mississippi, native earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2019 while helping the Chiefs to a Super Bowl title.
A bit of a late bloomer in NFL circles, Jones was projected as a first- or second-round pick following his junior season at MSU. Falling out of the draft’s first night, he has been a stalwart for the Chiefs ever since.
CB Darius Slay — Detroit Lions
Round 2, Pick 36 (2013)
Like Jones, it’s hard to call Darius Slay a sleeper as the fourth pick of the second round, but the Brunswick, Georgia, native has lived up to his billing and then some during his NFL career.
After playing two seasons at Itawamba Community College in Fulton, Slay appeared in all 26 games during his time at MSU. As a senior, his five interceptions led the Southeastern Conference, and his 101 interception return yards were fourth in the league.
Since MSU, Slay has been to three Pro Bowls and earned All-Pro honors in 2017. His 24 career interceptions also rank 19th among active NFL players.
Slay was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in the offseason.
LB K.J. Wright — Seattle Seahawks
Round 4, Pick 99 (2011)
K.J. Wright was one of four former Bulldogs selected in the 2011 draft. Playing in 47 career games, Wright was elevated to a starting role as a sophomore, recording 251 tackles and nine sacks over the final three years in Starkville.
As a prospect, he was the 13th linebacker taken in the 2011 draft but blossomed into a key cog in the Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom” defense that helped the franchise to the 2014 Super Bowl.
Durable throughout his NFL career, Wright played in 107 games over his first seven professional seasons, earning his lone Pro Bowl selection in 2016.
LB Benardrick McKinney — Houston Texans
Round 2, Pick 43 (2015)
Benardrick McKinney was a staple in the middle of the Bulldogs’ defense during the Dak Prescott years in Starkville. As a junior in 2014, he earned first-team SEC and first-team All-American honors while racking up 71 tackles and three sacks.
Mel Kiper Jr. rated McKinney as a top-30 prospect in the 2015 NFL draft before he fell into the second round. In five professional seasons, he earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2018 and has started 73 of 76 career games for the Houston Texans.
P Logan Cooke — Jacksonville Jaguars
Round 7, Pick 247 (2017)
While Logan Cooke doesn’t fall into the slew of defensive talent MSU has produced in the past decade, he’s been one of the NFL’s most productive punters over the last two seasons.
Cooke’s 46.8 yards per punt average ranked sixth in the league in 2019, while he’s ranked in the top 10 in total punts and punt yards in each of his two professional campaigns in Jacksonville.
And though he has yet to receive a Pro Bowl nod in his young NFL career, the Columbia, Mississippi, product figures to remain among the league’s best at the position given the early returns.
OL Elgton Jenkins — Green Bay Packers
Round 2, Pick 44 (2019)
I’ll concede putting Elgton Jenkins on this list could be slightly premature. That said, in his one professional season to date, Jenkins was a bona fide stud on the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line.
Starting 14 of 16 games last season, the former first team All-American didn’t allow a single sack on 571 pass-blocking snaps. He was rewarded with a spot on the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie team.
Like Cooke, Jenkins’ sample size is small, but he looks the part of a budding star in Green Bay.
Honorable mentions
Gabe Jackson
Pernell McPhee
Preston Smith
Vick Ballard
Anthony Dixon
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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