Ravens select former MSU center Nick Samac in seventh round of NFL draft

It says a lot when a 6-foot-4, 307-pound offensive lineman who owns the gift of gab finds himself speechless. But that's how Nick Samac felt after getting a call from the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday evening.

Samac, Michigan State's fifth-year senior who started at center last season before suffering a devastating leg injury in the Spartans' second-to-last game of the season, was taken in the seventh round, or No. 228 overall, in the NFL Draft in Detroit.

Samac didn't have a "whole ton of contact" with the Ravens before his phone lit up Saturday when Baltimore was on the clock. But he's determined to prove that "this was a great pick."

"This has definitely been a journey throughout my last year," Samac told reporters (via the Ravens,) "and just been doing everything to get back right and I’ll be on a good path and I’m kind of speechless.”

Samac played in 49 games for the Spartans over the last five seasons, including 32 starts at center. Last season, Samac was one of the leaders who helped keep the locker room intact despite being hindered by a scandal involving former coach Mel Tucker that rocked the program.

Samac played in 11 games, with 10 starts at center, during the 2023 season before suffering a lower-leg injury on the first drive of the Spartans' Nov. 18 game at Indiana. Samac's broken fibula prevented him from testing during the predraft process, but he was the only Spartan to have been invited to the NFL Combine.

Samac is the eighth Spartan to have been drafted in the past three years. He was the first, and only, Michigan State player picked during this year's event, though former Spartans wide receiver Keon Coleman, who played last season at Florida State, was picked at the start of the second round by the Buffalo Bills the previous day.

Samac was a former three-star recruit from Mentor, Ohio, who cracked the Spartans' starting lineup as a true freshman in 2019. He maintained his spot as the team's starting offensive line group and opted to use his extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic to return in 2023.

 Samac, who earned two honorable mention All-Big Ten nods over the past two seasons, is the first player from Michigan State that the Ravens have drafted. Samac said he feels blessed with the opportunity and is excited to get started.

 “[The Ravens are getting] a hard worker and someone who’s going to bring it every day 110%," Samac said.

Other MSU players who went undrafted receive opportunities

Several other Michigan State players have earned opportunities with various NFL teams, despite going undrafted.

Wide receiver Trey Mosley signed a deal with the Cincinnati Bengals and linebacker Jacoby Windmon inked one with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Also, linebacker Harold Joiner III has been invited to a mini-camp with the Indianapolis Colts.

mkenney@detroitnews.com

@madkenney