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MSU Football: 7 players trending up after 2022 spring game

By Emmett Matasovsky

Michigan State wide receiver Christian Fitzpatrick (16) runs out of the tunnel for the Youngstown State game at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021.
Michigan State wide receiver Christian Fitzpatrick (16) runs out of the tunnel for the Youngstown State game at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. /
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Michigan State’s Jayden Reed runs a drill on Saturday, April 16, 2022, during the spring game at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.220415 Msu Spring Game 073a
Michigan State’s Jayden Reed runs a drill on Saturday, April 16, 2022, during the spring game at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.220415 Msu Spring Game 073a /

I know what you are thinking: “Jayden Reed making this list after being a surefire draft pick and one of the top returning players on this team is a no-brainer.”

Just hear me out.

Reed looked phenomenal Saturday. Besides getting a ball jostled out of his hands to end the offensive scenario, Reed was flawless. On sideline drills, he was breaking tackles, and in receiver drills, he looked comfortable catching the ball in stride or laying out for a one-handed catch. Reed is going to be a problem for any defense he faces.

Jayden returned to the program when many expected him to go pro, and I think his extra year in college is going to net the Naperville native millions. He was an explosive return man last year and we did not get to see that element of his game in the spring due to the lack of, well, an actual game.

Would I buy this stock?

Absolutely. Reed had some of the best catches of the day and provided a spark of excitement to the crowd. He might make the biggest leap of anyone this season, and there are a lot of breakout candidates to contend with. Reed is no longer the receiver that struggled with fumbles against Rutgers, instead, he is the receiver who could legitimately put the team on his back like Kenneth Walker.

Is it possible for a 1,000-plus-yard receiver and a guy who caught 10 touchdown passes the previous year to have another breakout season? Because that might be the case for the WR1.

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