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Michigan State Football: Predicting where prospects go in NFL Draft

By Connor Muldowney

Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Connor Cook (18) warms up before the Big Ten Conference football championship game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Connor Cook (18) warms up before the Big Ten Conference football championship game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 3, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans defensive lineman Lawrence Thomas (8) stands on the field during the 1st quarter of a game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans defensive lineman Lawrence Thomas (8) stands on the field during the 1st quarter of a game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /

Projected Round: Early-to-mid 6th

Lawrence Thomas is a guy who I saw as a breakout candidate entering the 2015 season. He wasn’t getting much respect from the national media as one of the top defensive linemen in the Big Ten and he had a productive junior season.

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Coming out of high school, Thomas was one of Dantonio’s prized recruits, ranking as a high four-star according to all recruiting services and was listed as a linebacker. He added a good amount of weight during his first two years and eventually served time as a fullback before going back over to the defensive side of things.

Thomas didn’t play much in his redshirt sophomore season, but broke out in 2014 with 30 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. As a senior, he had 38 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks, showing that he can improve with a little more experience at a new position.

Although that is intriguing to some NFL scouts, his consistency was a bit of an issue and he’s still a little raw at defensive end. He might not go in the first two days, but Thomas will hear his name drafted this weekend as a probable sixth-rounder with big-time upside.

Next: 7. Undrafted free agents

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