Michigan State Football: Top 5 prospects for 2021 NFL Draft

The clear favorite to keep Michigan State’s 80-year streak alive in 2021 has to be Antjuan Simmons, a senior linebacker from Ann Arbor.

Simmons’ career has been an interesting one, dating back to his days as a recruit. He originally committed to Ohio State and then re-opened his recruitment in order to give Michigan State a shot and the Spartans landed him. He has been playing with a massive chip on his shoulder ever since and he’s one of the best players on the team.

Being a clear captain candidate and leader of the defense heading into 2020, Simmons looks the part of an NFL linebacker, despite standing just 6-foot-0 and 216 pounds. He plays with a mean streak and has sideline-to-sideline quickness. Not often do you see anyone run by him.

As a freshman and sophomore, he had 65 combined tackles and one tackle for loss and then he broke out as a junior for 90 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He also added two pass deflections, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. This kid was all over the field and showed that he can be a star on defense.

Now that he’s entering his second full year as a starting linebacker, Simmons will be looked at to be a Joe Bachie-type and lead the defense both with production and mentally. He has all the tools to be a star on Sundays.