How did Michigan State football players in the NFL fare in Week 1?
If you're both a Lions and Michigan State football fan, you had a pretty good weekend.
Not only did the Lions and Spartans both win their games, but some former Michigan State players starred in the NFL and truly turned some heads. It was a good weekend for both Michigan State fans and former players.
If you're a big NFL guy, you probably saw the Spartans standing out from the beginning of Week 1 as Jayden Reed put on a show for the Green Bay Packers in Brazil last Friday.
But Reed wasn't the only former Michigan State star to have success in Week 1.
How did the rest of the Spartans in the NFL fare?
Player | Week 1 stats |
|---|---|
Jayden Reed, WR, Packers | 4 catches, 138 yards, 1 TD |
Kirk Cousins, QB, Falcons | 16-for-26, 155 yards, 1 TD, 2 interceptions |
Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seahawks | 20 carries, 105 yards, 1 TD |
Jalen Nailor, WR, Vikings | 21-yard touchdown catch |
Bryce Baringer, P, Patriots | 5 punts, 250 yards (50-yard average), 3 punts inside the 20 |
Keon Coleman, WR, Bills | 4 catches, 51 yards |
AJ Arcuri, OT, Rams | Played extensively vs. the Lions |
William Gholston, DL, Buccaneers | 1 tackle |
Some other Spartans who made NFL teams but didn't record any stats or who were inactive in Week 1 were Ben VanSumeren, Jack Conklin, Joe Samac, Connor Heyward, Taybor Pepper, and Joe Bachie.
A handful of other Spartans are currently on practice squads.
The best performances of the week were obviously from Reed and Kenneth Walker III while Bryce Baringer and Keon Coleman were right there, too. The most disappointing showing of the week had to be Kirk Cousins but also AJ Arcuri struggled mightily to stay in front of Aidan Hutchinson and the Lions but fortunately Matthew Stafford kept getting the ball out quickly.
Also, big shoutout to Jalen Nailor who caught his second career touchdown pass with the Vikings. He looks like he might be an important piece to the puzzle in Minnesota.
Let's see if the Spartans can keep this up in Week 2.