The first Michigan State football player to be drafted in the Jonathan Smith era revealed himself on Saturday afternoon.
After going the first five rounds without hearing a single Spartan's name called, the Chicago Bears' selection was up in the sixth round and they chose Michigan State offensive lineman Luke Newman.
Newman was the No. 195 overall pick in the draft and it's really not a shock that he was picked first in terms of Michigan State players because he was the fastest riser up draft boards in terms of Spartans and he was being invited to check out and interview with multiple organizations.
Heck, even the Lions had him in for a visit a couple of weeks ago before ultimately going to division rival Chicago on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
As one of the most consistent offensive linemen in East Lansing over the past few years, Newman became reliable in his one season at Michigan State. It's been a while since the Spartans had a player of his caliber along the line, but he fit in well in his one season and him getting drafted is only going to help Smith and Jim Michalczik recruit in the future.
This should be a good sign for the future of the offensive line and fans should be excited about the idea of that group improving because of the staff's ability to get guys to the league.
The New Orleans Saints selecting Taliese Fuaga a year ago was also a good selling point for recruits that this staff can get offensive linemen to the league. He was a first-rounder. This staff came to East Lansing and in year one got an offensive lineman drafted.
There's still work to do, but this is a nice start.