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Trio of Michigan State Spartans get drafted in final day of NFL draft

Mel Tucker Jalen Nailor Michigan St Miami Football
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With the 191st pick in the NFL draft, the Minnesota Vikings selected Michigan State wide receiver Jalen Nailor in the sixth round on Saturday. Following Nailor, his teammate TE Connor Heyward was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers at 208th. Lastly for Michigan State, A.J. Arcuri went to the Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams at 261st.

Nailor finished his Spartan career with 86 receptions for 1,454 yard and 12 touchdowns in 28 career games from 2018-21. He was the 46th Spartan to reach 1,000 career receiving yards in October of 2021. Nailor is known for being a versatile playmaker with speed.

As for Heyward, the running back-turned-tight end will be joining his brother Cameron Heyward in Pittsburgh. After his little brother was drafted, Cameron joked and tweeted “I guess I have a roommate now.” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has signed brothers to his team several times in recent years, so this doesn’t come as a huge surprise.

A.J. Arcuri was the next-to-last selection in the draft at No. 261 overall after being called by the Los Angeles Rams. The MSU offensive tackle played in 2021 for the Spartans in his sixth year of NCAA eligibility. He's the first offensive lineman drafted since Brian Allen in 2018. The two Spartans will now be teammates in LA.

Four Spartans getting drafted is the most for Michigan State since 2016.