How MSU Football Replacing Top NFL Draft Prospects

Michigan State's head coach Pat Fitzgerald addresses the team at the end of the football Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How MSU Football Replacing Top NFL Draft Prospects

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Jacob Cotsonika | Last updated Apr 23, 2026 9:30 AM ET

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Day 1 of the NFL Draft is here.

Michigan State football probably won't see one of its alumni get chosen until the third day on Saturday, but the Spartans, now led by Pat Fitzgerald, have had to worry about the holes left behind by some top players. Here's how MSU has done it:

Replacing Matt Gulbin

Perhaps the trickiest guy to replace is center Matt Gulbin. Standing in the middle of Michigan State's offensive line, Gublin was the most reliable guy MSU had in the trenches. He was also a team captain, which speaks volumes to his leadership qualities as an incoming transfer. Gulbin is currently projected to go around the fifth- or sixth-round range.

Just as the Spartans went to the portal to get Gulbin, they went to the portal to replace him. The solution has been North Dakota State transfer, Trent Fraley. He was the FCS Rimington Award winner for the Bison in 2025, which is awarded annually to the subdivision's top center. Fraley is considered undersized at 6-foot-1, but his production throughout his career has spoken for itself.

Replacing Ryan Eckley

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Michigan State's other true NFL Draft hopeful is punter Ryan Eckley. He was one of the best punters in America in 2025, averaging 48.5 yards per punt, which earned him the Big Ten Punter of the Year award and Second Team All-American recognition from the AFCA and ESPN.

Fitzgerald's splash hire of LeVar Woods away from Iowa to be the Spartans' new special teams coordinator solved the problem of replacing Eckley very quickly.

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Woods simply brought Rhys Dakin, his punter with the Hawkeyes, to East Lansing via the transfer portal. Dakin averaged 43.6 yards per punt in 2025, earning him honorable mention all-Big Ten recognition from the media.

The history of Woods' career is more reason to believe Dakin can get even better. Woods developed punter Tory Taylor, a fourth-round pick, while he was in Iowa City. He's also had several other specialists either become NFL draft picks or become All-Americans.

Replacing Malik Spencer

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Safety Malik Spencer also has an outside chance of being selected, possibly popping up on NFL radars when he visited the defending AFC champion New England Patriots. Even if he doesn't get picked, Spencer is probably in line to get some calls for UDFA opportunities.

To replace Spencer, MSU needed to look for someone who can both play free safety a bit and roll into the box and play some nickel. There isn't a one-for-one replacement here, like there was with Gulbin and Eckley. Keeping Nikai Martinez certainly helps bolster the free safety spot. Louisiana Tech transfer Michael Richard was brought in to be that fifth defensive back.