Michigan State football: Ameer Speed makes Patriots’ 53-man roster

After just one season with Michigan State football, Ameer Speed has made the New England Patriots’ 53-man roster.

It’s NFL roster cut day which means that former Michigan State football stars are learning their fate.

One of the fringe NFL roster pieces out of East Lansing this year is Ameer Speed. The Georgia transfer had an up-and-down season at Michigan State before heading to the NFL in 2023. He was drafted in the sixth round by the New England Patriots which surprised some people. He wasn’t exactly the lockdown corner we expected him to be. But it was clear that New England saw potential in him both at corner and on special teams.

Well, he clearly made a good enough impression on legendary head coach Bill Belichick during the preseason as he made the Patriots’ 53-man roster.

Ameer Speed has made the Patriots 53-man roster, per source

— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) August 29, 2023

This was kind of where things had been trending during the preseason with Speed. He had looked really good on special teams and Belichick is a guy who really harps on the details. Not many head coaches would draft a guy purely to be a special teams ace, but there’s a reason he’s a Hall of Fame and Super Bowl-winning head coach. He knows what gets the job done.

So while Speed may not be locking guys down this season at corner, he’s going to be making plays on special teams alongside Bryce Baringer who also made the cut.

We’re hearing about Spartans all around the league making NFL rosters and Speed may be the most surprising. Earlier on Tuesday, we reported that Jalen Nailor made the Vikings’ 53-man roster.

Unfortunately, with the good news about former MSU players comes some bad news as well. Guys like Josh Butler and Ben VanSumeren who played really well in the preseason were cut and will now be looking for practice squad invites.