2015 NFL Draft: Trae Waynes path to the draft

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The biggest night in Trae Wayne’s life is just a few short days away. The Michigan State cornerback is going to be a first round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft on Thursday evening in Chicago. Years of hard work and dedication is going to be realized when one of the 32 NFL teams calls his name and his dreams come true. Spartan Nation could not be happier for a player that had three impressive years in a Michigan State uniform. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and take a look at the path Waynes took to get to the cusp of the NFL.

Trae was not a hotly-recruited player coming out of Kenosha, Wisconsin; he was a two-star cornerback with very few Division I scholarship offers. Waynes had a highly-touted teammate, in Melvin Gordon, but not many schools saw what the Spartans were going to do.

Michigan State offered Waynes early and by the time other schools caught on to the talent Trae had it was far too late — he was a Spartan through and through.

Waynes redshirted his freshman year but was able to play in nine games the next season during his redshirt freshman season, mainly on special teams. He was behind the depth chart to then-senior Johnny Adams and junior Darqueze Dennard. In a recent interview during Michigan State’s spring football game, Waynes stated that during that first year Dennard told him to always stay ready, that Michigan State was going to need him.

Jan 1, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Michigan State Spartans cornerback Trae Waynes (15) during the game against the Baylor Bears in the 2015 Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium. The Spartans defeated the Bears 42-41. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

It turns out Dennard could see the future.

Adams was injured for the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl game against TCU unable to play, giving Waynes his first career start and he never looked back. The game was a defensive struggle and Waynes held his own in coverage giving Spartan fans a glimpse of what would be next year. Waynes finished his first year at Michigan State with eight tackles and half a sack.

Waynes’ sophomore year would begin the climb to stardom for him as well as Michigan State. Waynes, Dennard, Isaiah Lewis and Kurtis Drummond made up the No Fly Zone, forming one of the best secondaries in the nation.

Trae and the Spartan defense carried the team to a Big Ten and Rose Bowl Championship, with Waynes making a huge interception during the Rose Bowl game. Trae finished the year honorable mention All-Big Ten with 50 tackles, eight passes defended and three interceptions. Dennard moved on to become a first round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, leaving Waynes to step into his shoes as the next dominant Spartan corner.

The corner came into his junior year with high expectations and he did not disappoint. Although Michigan State fell short of their team goal of a Big Ten Championship, Waynes still had a stellar season. Trae was a second team All-American, first team All-Big Ten and 2014 Thorpe Award semifinalist, which is the award for the nation’s top defensive back.

After this fantastic season, Spartan Nation hoped he would come back for his senior but it is very likely he will be the first corner selected in the draft. Moving on was absolutely the right choice for Waynes his stock will never be higher.

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After declaring for the NFL Draft, it was time for Waynes to prepare for the NFL Combine and the Michigan State pro day. Before leaving East Lansing, Trae performed one of the classiest acts I have ever seen from an athlete. He bought an entire page ad in the student newspaper to thank the coaches, fans, and everyone who was a part of his experience in East Lansing. Waynes was already a Spartan great but this forever won himself a place in Spartan fans’ hearts.

At the combine, Waynes did nothing but impress, especially when it came to his 40-yard dash time where he ran it in 4.31 seconds. This time was fastest among cornerbacks and second-fastest overall. The performance locked up Waynes being a first round pick, most projections have him going in the mid-first round. Waynes will be in Chicago for the draft and I, for one, cannot wait to watch him walk across the stage and give commissioner Goodell a hug.

An early congratulations to Trae, you will always be a Spartan and Spartan nation wishes you nothing but success.

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