Scouting potential MSU players who could hear their name called next week
We are less than a week from the 2025 NFL Draft. It used to be a guarantee that some Spartans were going to be drafted, as MSU had at least one player picked in each draft from 1941 through 2020. In many of those years, there were at least a couple of Spartans selected. The impressive streak ended in 2021 but has since resumed with four players drafted in 2022, three in 2023, and one in 2024. So will Michigan State continue to build this new streak or will it reset to zero?
This could go either way. There was not a single MSU player invited to this year’s Draft Combine. That’s right. Out of 329 invitees, not one came from East Lansing. By comparison, this year’s draft is slated to have 257 players selected across seven rounds.
I do not want to lose all hope as there are a few members of last year’s team who could hear their name called somewhere between picks 1 and 257. The most likely contenders came from the defensive side of the ball on the 2024 squad – Khris Bogle, Cal Haladay, and Jordan Turner. Here is a look at those three’s draft profile and a projection of when they could get drafted.
KHRIS BOGLE – DE
Khris is certainly the most experienced player among MSU’s draft hopefuls having played in six seasons of college football. However, this does mean he will be close to his 25th birthday when the next NFL season kicks off. Bogle began at the University of Florida for three seasons before transferring to Michigan State for three more seasons. His first two seasons in East Lansing were cut short due to injury, but he did play in 11 games in his final year and had career bests in tackles and sacks.
Khris stands 6’4” tall but only weights 243 pounds, which is extremely small for this position. The average NFL DE weighs 274 pounds, so one of the first things he would need to do at the next level is put some weight on. Or he could be converted to an outside linebacker. Bogle has managed to work around his smaller frame to be a leader in MSU’s defense. He does an excellent job timing the snaps and he has a powerful first step to help him at the point of attack against beefier offensive linemen. He has been caught being too focused on the QB and missing his responsibilities in protecting the edge in the run game. As a result, he has had better marks as a pass rusher than as a run defender.
Projected Draft Range: Round 6 – UDFA
CAL HALADAY – LB
Cal’s draft profile is a polar opposite of his former teammate Khris Bogle’s. The four-year Spartan had his worst statistical season in 2024 after being MSU’s leading tackler the previous two years (and second leading tackler as a freshman). And unlike Bogle, Haladay has been at his best against the run, utilizing his great vision and ability to read angles to get to the ball carrier. Trying to get through the O-Line and to the quarterback was never his strong suit; he only recorded four sacks in his college career.
Like Bogle, Haladay is a bit undersized compared to the NFL average for his position. Haladay measures in at 6’1” and 233, while the average NFL LB is 6’2” and 241. If an NFL team is going to take a chance in drafting him, it will most likely come from being impressed by his football intelligence and his grit. He probably will not translate into a starter at the next level, but he does have traits that could make him a valuable depth piece and a good addition to a LB room.
Projected Draft Range: Round 7 – UDFA
JORDAN TURNER – LB
Jordan Turner only was in East Lansing for one season after transferring from Wisconsin. But he definitely made his mark on the 2024 team. With 66, he led all MSU tacklers. He also contributed with three sacks and a pair of interceptions, both second on the team. Perhaps most significant is that his performance in his lone Spartan season was not an aberration. He recorded at least 60 tackles in his last two seasons with the Badgers. And in his three years in Madison, he had five more sacks and three more interceptions.
Turner is 6’1” and 231 lbs. Like his two former teammates discussed above, he could afford to pack on some weight to prepare for NFL play. But unlike those other two guys, he does not seem to have one part of his game that is a weakness; he is solid in both pass and run coverage, and can contribute in the backfield, at the line of scrimmage, and dropping into coverage.
Projected Draft Range: Round 6 – UDFA
What do you guys think? Any names you want to add to the prospective draftee list? Do you agree with my assessments and the ranges for Bogle, Haladay, and Turner? Who is most likely to be drafted?