Michigan State football: Quartet of Spartans impress at Pro Day

On Wednesday, Michigan State football hosted their seniors one last time for pro day. Four of the Spartans made a great argument for why they will be donning a uniform next fall in the pro leagues. Nate Carter stole the show, but Luke Newman, Jordan Turner, and Maverick Hansen also put up some impressive numbers, too.

Nate Carter is the Pro Day darling

In 2024, Nate Carter struggled to gain traction for a majority of the season. The running back was outplayed by Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams at points, had a crucial drop in the end zone against Boston College, and was often stranded on his runs. Now, it is not his fault that he was seeing a swarm of defensive linemen immediately after being handed the ball.

Between the lack of protection and the emergence of Lynch-Adams, Carter’s numbers regressed from 798 yards in 2023 to 499 yards in 2024. In a surprise move, the redshirt junior entered his name in the NFL Draft. Carter, alongside every Spartan, was left off the NFL Combine entry list and had to wait for pro day. As the old proverb says, good things come to those who wait.

Carter had an astounding pro day. He ran a 4.37 40-yard dash, which would be second best among combine participants. In another show of explosiveness, the back had a broad jump of 10 feet, 8 inches, which would be tied for fifth best among the running backs. Finally, in a show of strength, the back put up 23 reps on the bench press, which would tie him for the top among running back participants at the Combine.

All of these results really show one thing: love him or hate him, Mel Tucker knew which athletes to grab in the portal. Between Carter, Kendell Brooks, Kenneth Walker III, and Ben VanSumeren a few years back, the Spartans have been showing off elite athletes on pro days. In part, that becomes more frustration for Mel Tucker’s coaching. Remove Walker, and Tucker was unable to harness these athletes’ talents and it resulted in a combine snub and ultimately, the two defenders going undrafted.

Hopefully, Carter will buck that trend and have a team take a late round flyer on him.

A trio of Spartans would also be among the top of their position groups

In addition to Carter showing out at pro day, Jordan Turner and two Spartans in the trenches showed impressive strength on Wednesday.

Maverick Hansen was one of the last Mark Dantonio-era prospects to be a part of Michigan State football, and he put on that legacy on the bench press. Hansen hoisted 225 pounds off his chest 31 times, which would be top among defensive linemen. The defensive tackle was a run stopper during his time as a Spartan, resulting in him being overlooked. Hopefully, this result will lead to teams turning on the tape for the defensive tackle.

One more Spartan to highlight is interior offensive lineman Luke Newman. He was a one-year Spartan, transferring in from Holy Cross and starting all 12 games for MSU at left guard in 2024. Newman switched to guard for the Spartans after being predominantly a tackle at Holy Cross, and that paid off. During the Shrine Bowl, Newman was asked to work on the interior offensive line, including the center position.

At pro day, Newman impressed on, wait for it, the bench press. He put up the iron 29 times, which would be fourth among all linemen, regardless of interior or exterior positions. Newman is currently ranked just outside the PFF Big Board top-300, and this showcase might bump him into drafting position. There are 257 picks in this year’s draft.

Would you like to guess where Turner impressed? If you said the bench, you guessed right. The former Badger-turned-Spartan put up 25 reps on the bench, just one shy of the leading mark among linebackers at the NFL Combine this year. He would have to “settle” for the third best mark. Turner, despite being arguably the most impactful player on the defensive side of the ball in 2024, did not receive any Combine or NFL Showcase Bowl invites. I am adamant you will not find a better linebacker’s tape than what he did to Ohio State this last season, and PFF ranked it among the best linebacker grades against the Buckeyes in the last five years.

I am hopeful at least one Michigan State football player will be among the names called off in this year’s draft. Despite the 5-7 record, multiple players have impressed. Maybe it is the side effect of covering this year’s team, but I’m very hopeful that their hard work and production will pay off. Their athleticism certainly implies it should.