Michigan State Football: Andrew Dowell has been “star” of Saints camp

For four years, Andrew Dowell played a prominent role on Michigan State football’s defense. His career started in 2015 when the Spartans were a playoff team and he had 22 tackles, a tackle for loss, and a fumble recovery in eight games as a freshman.

And he only got better.

While his twin brother David made the All-Big Ten first team, a feat his twin never accomplished, Andrew is in the NFL right now, fighting for a roster spot and looking good in the process.

Although Andrew wasn’t drafted in 2019, he caught on as a free agent and has been on and off practice squads ever since. He started with the Cowboys and then the Saints picked him up and that move may have just paid off big time for New Orleans.

In fact, Dowell is looking like “the star” of Saints camp thus far, according to one report.

Nick Underhill is a prominent Saints reporter who obviously has inside access to the organization and has been present at training camp. Hearing him speak this highly of Dowell is not only a breath of fresh air but also proof that what Michigan State fans saw in him is finally translating to the NFL. He was an athletic, physically gifted linebacker who played with a mean streak. It was a mystery as to why he hadn’t caught on in the league yet.

Now he’s starting to turn heads and make a name for himself. If reporters are saying Dowell looks like “the star” of camp so far, there’s a good chance he makes the roster.

Dowell was always underrated with Michigan State football

Throughout his four-year career in East Lansing, I always felt like Dowell was overlooked. One, because his brother was an All-Big Ten defensive back and, two, because he wasn’t a superstar like Joe Bachie, Max Bullough, Greg Jones, or Denicos Allen.

Dowell was always just incredibly solid and always did the right things.

He had a tremendous feel for the game and ended his career with 261 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, six sacks, an interception, 16 pass deflections, three fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles. He stuffed the stat sheet over his career and somehow went undrafted.

New Orleans is making sure he doesn’t get away and even if he doesn’t make the 53-man roster out of fall camp, I have a good feeling he’ll be finding his way off the practice squad and onto the depth chart at some point this season.

A few undrafted former Spartans are looking good ahead of the 2021 season.