Michigan State Football: Cody White, Justin Layne make Steelers two-deep

The NFL is gearing up for preseason action and Michigan State football fans are watching closely to see where former Spartans are playing and if they’ll end up making 53-man rosters.

There are the usual suspects that will likely make rosters like Kirk Cousins, Trae Waynes, Darqueze Dennard, Le’Veon Bell (hopefully), Jack Conklin, Brian Allen, Khari Willis, Will Gholston, Justin Layne, and Josiah Scott. And then there are some fringe guys like Joe Bachie, Kenny Willekes, and Cody White who have all made it to the league but are fighting for roster spots.

Willekes will be fighting deep into training camp with the Vikings while Bachie will hope to catch on with the Vikings. White has kind of been forgotten since leaving a year early following the 2019 season, but people need to realize just how good he was at Michigan State.

White was criticized heavily for leaving early because fans felt as if he needed another prove-it year in order to actually get drafted. He was an undrafted free agent but was picked up by the Steelers.

Fast forward to late July and he’s in a good position heading into the preseason with the Steelers as he made their first official two-deep depth chart.

White is listed as the backup to Chase Claypool which is not a bad spot to be in and it shows that he has a prime opportunity to make the roster this fall. If he does make the roster, he could be part of that regular rotation of receivers. Maybe White will be the next breakout star formerly from MSU.

Justin Layne also made the two-deep

Layne came to Michigan State as a four-star receiver in the 2016 class but made the transition to cornerback based on need, and he excelled. He became one of the best cornerbacks in the Big Ten and was eventually selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Although his NFL career hasn’t lived up to the hype, he could still make a push for playing time in his third season as he also made the Steelers’ two-deep behind Joe Haden at corner.

It’d be fun to watch the Steelers as Michigan State fans if both White and Layne are in the two-deep and regular playing rotation.

Another name to keep an eye on is Shakur Brown who will be fighting for a roster spot as well as he’s currently fourth-string before preseason ball at cornerback.