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The Bengals made Michigan State's Darqueze Dennard their first pick in last year's draft, so it's no surprise they were back for the Spartans' Pro Day this year.
It's hard to foresee the Bengals taking Trae Waynes in the first round with two first-round picks having been spent on corners since 2012. Then again, if you think Waynes is an upgrade over Leon Hall at this point in his career and/or Dre Kirkpatrick, do you pull the trigger?
It's doubtful, and the same is true with running back Jeremy Langford in the second-to-third round, where he's projected to go. The rest of the Spartans' draft-eligible prospects will be up for grabs in the latter rounds. The Steelers will likely be eyeing Waynes, which explains why head coach Mike Tomlin was in attendance.
One Spartan the Bengals may have their eye on is Tony Lippett, who finished the 2014 season as both a starting wide receiver and starting cornerback. He's likely going to be a receiver in the NFL, but having that versatility certainly makes him more attractive in case some emergency DB help is needed.
Still, his deep-threat abilities as a receiver are what should get him drafted in the first three rounds. He might be a guy to watch for with the Bengals' third-round compensatory pick from the Michael Johnson heist. Lippett caught 65 passes for 1,198 yards (18.4 avg) and 11 scores. His yards-per-catch average was 15th best of Power 5 conference receivers, and that's the kind of field-stretching the Bengals need from one of their receivers other than A.J. Green.
Here's a look at MSU's players based on their CBS Sports draft rankings:
RANK |
PLAYER |
POS. |
POS. RANK |
SCHOOL |
CLASS |
HT. |
WT. |
PROJ. ROUND |
13 |
Trae Waynes |
CB |
1 |
Michigan State |
rr |
6-0 |
186 |
1 |
79 |
Jeremy Langford |
RB |
8 |
Michigan State |
Sr |
6-0 |
208 |
2-3 |
108 |
Tony Lippett |
WR |
16 |
Michigan State |
Sr |
6-2 |
192 |
3-4 |
149 |
Kurtis Drummond |
FS |
6 |
Michigan State |
Sr |
6-1 |
208 |
4-5 |
164 |
Taiwan Jones |
ILB |
9 |
Michigan State |
Sr |
6-3 |
245 |
5 |
302 |
Mike Sadler |
P |
4 |
Michigan State |
Sr |
5-11 |
182 |
7-FA |
391 |
Keith Mumphery |
WR |
50 |
Michigan State |
Sr |
6-0 |
215 |
-- |
410 |
Marcus Rush |
OLB |
33 |
Michigan State |
Sr |
6-2 |
243 |
-- |
691 |
Nick Hill |
RB |
51 |
Michigan State |
Sr |
5-8 |
197 |
-- |
840 |
Andrew Gleichert |
TE |
44 |
Michigan State |
Sr |
6-5 |
264 |
-- |
876 |
Travis Jackson |
OG |
51 |
Michigan State |
rSr |
6-3 |
290 |
-- |