Michigan State cornerback Ameer Speed drafted by New England Patriots in sixth round
Former Michigan State cornerback Ameer Speed was selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Saturday. Speed, picked 214th overall, is the third Spartan player to get drafted so far, joining second-rounder Jayden Reed (Green Bay Packers) and sixth-rounder Bryce Baringer (New England Patriots).
Speed transferred to Michigan State as a graduate student for the 2022 season after spending five seasons at Georgia. He played in all 12 games in his lone season as a Spartan, starting 11 of them at cornerback.
Speed logged a career-high 62 tackles and five pass breakups last season while playing the third-most snaps of any Spartan on defense (737). Speed also played 87 snaps on special teams.
Speed started the first three games of the 2021 season for the eventual national champion Georgia Bulldogs, but fell out of the starting group as the season went on. Still, Speed managed a career-high 201 plays on special teams that season.
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Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker first got to know Speed, a former four-star prospect, while Tucker was defensive coordinator at Georgia from 2016-18.
Speed figures to be a solid contributor on special teams for the Patriots while he takes time to develop at cornerback. He’s an intriguing physical prospect at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. Speed also reportedly ran a 4.34 40-yard dash at his pro day.
Speed is the first Michigan State cornerback drafted since Josiah Scott was picked by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
