How Michigan State football players in the NFL fared in Week 3
Another week of college football and the NFL is in the books and some former Michigan State football players excelled across the country.
After September is over, I'm going to start doing check-ins on former Michigan State players at the collegiate level. Guys who played for the Spartans but ended up transferring to other schools (Ricky White, Sam Leavitt) will be the focus when September is in the books.
For now, though, we're going to do weekly updates for the Spartans in the NFL.
There were plenty of former Michigan State players who excelled in Week 3 of NFL play. Guys like Keon Coleman and Jalen Nailor scored touchdowns and Kirk Cousins nearly led the Falcons past Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in a shockingly close game.
Here's our Week 3 Spartans in the NFL results.
Player | Week 3 stats |
|---|---|
Kirk Cousins (Falcons) | 20-29, 230 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
Jayden Reed (Packers) | 4 catches, 50 yards; 2 rushes, 19 yards |
Jalen Nailor (Vikings) | 3 catches, 31 yards, TD |
Bryce Baringer (Patriots) | 5 punts, 49.0 average, 3 inside 20 |
Connor Heyward (Steelers) | 1 catch, 2 yards |
Kenneth Walker III (Seahawks) | Out with injury |
Keon Coleman (Bills) | 1 catch, 24 yards, TD |
Some other guys who didn't record any stats but who are on NFL rosters are Taybor Pepper, William Gholston, Ben VanSumeren, Jack Conklin (out with injury), Joe Bachie, and Nick Samac.
Former Michigan State players had a decent week in the NFL even though some big names (Conklin, Walker III) were out with injuries.
Cousins had his second straight solid game against the NFL's best team. He nearly led the Falcons to another huge upset but fell just short. Jayden Reed bounced back from a rather quiet Week 2 and looks like one of the top receivers on an up-and-coming team. Jalen Nailor caught a touchdown pass for a third straight game for the surprising Vikings. Oh, and Bryce Baringer remained elite.
And yes, I'm counting Keon Coleman as a Spartan because he still loves Michigan State and credits Courtney Hawkins for his growth as a player. He caught his first career touchdown pass on Monday night.
It's been fun to watch Michigan State players excel in the NFL this season.