For three years, Malik Spencer was one of the best defensive backs in East Lansing, starting 29 games for Michigan State from 2023-2025.
Spencer was one of the most productive players on the defensive side of the ball, totaling 168 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, and 13 pass breakups over his final three years in East Lansing. Although he had some head-scratching defensive moments, Spencer was an overall plus defender.
After his sophomore year in 2023, many believed that Spencer had a legitimate NFL future. Heck, one NFL draft expert even saw Spencer as a potential first-round pick in the 2025 cycle as recently as the spring of 2024. It’s insane how quickly Spencer went from a potential first-round pick to signing with an NFL team as an undrafted free agent.
Over the weekend, he signed with the Washington Commanders, making him the second Spartan rookie to ink a deal with the team from the nation’s capital.
The first Spartan rookie to cut a deal with the Commanders was Matt Gulbin who was selected No. 209 overall in the sixth round by Washington. He’ll be looking to make the Commanders’ 53-man roster but it’s believed that he’s going to contend for the starting job at center.
Spencer, on the other hand, will have to fight his way onto the roster as someone who saw his draft stock plummet over the past two seasons under Jonathan Smith.
It’s unfortunate what happened to a lot of players’ draft stocks under Smith.
Malik Spencer never quite lived up to the hype
Since that offseason following his breakout 2022 campaign, Spencer only saw his draft stock slip. He recorded 72 tackles, two tackles for loss, and six pass breakups in his first full season as a starter but then he witnessed his first coaching change in East Lansing.
That may have negatively affected his growth as a player.
Mel Tucker was fired and replaced by Smith and Spencer struggled with consistency. He still started every game he played, but he has just 96 total tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions and seven pass breakups. He was productive, but it wasn’t consistent enough to carry the ever-struggling defensive backfield.
Spencer always had NFL potential, but squeezing it out of him was something that Smith and Joe Rossi just weren’t able to do. Going from potential first-rounder to undrafted free agent is a “life comes at you fast” situation.
The productive Spartan defensive back landed on his feet, but he’ll have his work cut out for him if he wants to make the Commanders’ 53-man roster this fall.
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