Trio of former Michigan State stars invited to NFL Scouting Combine

A few days ago on Feb. 9, the NFL officially released the list of 324 prospects invited to travel to Indianapolis, Indiana and participate in the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Field. The Michigan State Spartans had three players invited.

The Georgia Bulldogs landed a nationwide high of 14 invites for former players in this year’s combine. Behind the national champs in the invite count are Alabama and Oklahoma with 11. Last year, it was Ohio State that led the nation’s top programs with 14 invitees, followed by Alabama, Georgia, and Notre Dame with 11 each.

Below is the list of the Michigan State Spartans that were invited.

Michigan State 2022 NFL Scouting Combine Invitees

• RB Kenneth Walker III
• TE Connor Heyward
• WR Jalen Nailor

Mock Projections

Kenneth Walker III is unquestionably the Spartans top draft prospect for the 2022 NFL Draft. Many mock drafts have him being picked at different spots, but The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has Walker going to the Houston Texans in the second round of the draft. Walker had an amazing season for Michigan State this year and brought home the Doak Walker Award for his performance. He ranked second in the nation with 136.3 rushing yards per game and found the end zone 18 times. On3’s Matt Zenitz wrote an excellent article on what NFL scouts thought about Walker toward the end of the 2021-2022 college football season. Many of them were high on the former Michigan State product and once you turn on the tape, it’s easy to see why.

Jalen Nailor might not be anywhere near the household name that former Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III is, but he certainly had his moments where he erupted for the Spartans. On Oct. 9, 2021 he torched the Rutgers Scarlet Knights’ secondary in record-setting fashion, hauling in five catches for 221 receiving yards and three touchdowns through the air. Nailor’s average of 44.4 yards per catch in that game were the most by a Big Ten Player since 2000. Some mock drafts have Nailor going as a late day three selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Should the Michigan State players want another opportunity to impress scouts, the Spartans’ Pro Day will be held on Wednesday, March 16. The 2022 NFL Draft will held on April 28-30 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On3’s Nikki Chavanelle and Nick Schultz also contributed to this story.