The 2026 NFL Draft is officially on the books and Michigan State saw its new streak improve to five years. It should be 86 years, but the first offseason under Mel Tucker yielded no picks.
Since then, the Spartans have seen several players drafted, but it’s been years since they’ve sent someone to the NFL Draft via the first two rounds. Not only has Michigan State failed to produce any Day 1 or Day 2 picks since Jayden Reed, but the Spartans are also now seemingly the butt of jokes on draft day.
The Detroit Lions took a shot at the Spartans with their photo usage following the fourth-round selection of Michigan linebacker Jimmy Rolder. He joined fellow former Wolverine Derrick Moore as recent Detroit draft picks and whoever runs the Lions’ X account took the opportunity to troll Michigan State.
The Lions posted a picture of Rolder and Moore chasing a clearly panicking Aidan Chiles who was running for his life against the Wolverines. Shots fired, seemingly.
Well, Michigan State responded to the wicked stray sent the Spartans’ way by the Lions’ X account with a perfect response, sharing a picture of Pat Fitzgerald and Detroit head coach Dan Campbell shaking hands before a Spartan basketball game.
I thought we were friends... @Lions pic.twitter.com/IOuZ6ZtuAs
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) April 25, 2026
Whoever is running the Lions’ X account is either a huge Michigan fan and doesn’t care or legitimately feels bad after receiving some backlash. I’d like to think that using the original photo of Chiles being run down by the two news Lions defenders was a mistake, but I doubt it at this point.
I’d like to hear honorary Spartan Dan Campbell’s thoughts on the whole situation.
The Lions can get away with this right now because they don’t have a single Spartan on their roster and it’s been years since they’ve fielded one. Do we have some beef?
The Lions haven’t drafted a Spartan in nearly 25 years
It feels like Detroit has put an emphasis on drafting Michigan players over the past few years, but it’s been quite some time since the Lions last picked a Spartan.
In fact, the last Michigan State player to get drafted by the Lions was Charles Rogers all the way back in 2003. That pick may have scared the organization away from drafting Michigan State players because the top-five pick was considered a massive bust although I like to avoid that term considering injuries really derailed his career.
Maybe the only way the Lions can make it up to the Spartans for the insane stray sent their way over draft weekend is to pick a Michigan State players in the 2027 NFL Draft.
The Lions are officially on the clock.
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