STARKVILLE — Josh Boyd may be able to thank former teammate Fletcher Cox for being selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers.
Green Bay defensive line coach Mike Trgovac said he noticed his team’s newest selection from Mississippi State University in 2011 when they started evaluating Cox.
“(Boyd) kind of took off right when I’d put the tape on to evaluate Cox because Josh Boyd is a big man that has some explosion to him,” Trgovac said. “We think Josh has some versatility to him as a defensive lineman, and that’s why we picked him.”
Boyd was the last of three MSU players drafted in the three-day, seven-round draft this weekend. Cornerbacks Darius Slay and Johnthan Banks went in the second round to the Detroit Lions and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dan Mullen has had 12 players selected in the NFL draft, including Cox and Derek Sherrod, who were first-round picks in back-to-back years.
“Detroit and Tampa Bay got better tonight,” Mullen said Friday in a school release. “Congratulations to Darius and Johnthan. They’re both great players and wonderful young men. Both will continue to make Mississippi State fans — and all of the people of this great state — proud for years to come.”
Boyd, who started 41 of 51 games at MSU, had 33 tackles, one sack, and two tackles for loss this past season as a senior. With Cox, who was drafted in the first round by the Philadelphia Eagles, at his side in 2011, Boyd led the defensive line with 51 tackles.
Green Bay is one of the few teams in the NFL that plays a 3-4 defense, so it’s unclear whether Boyd, who has played as a 4-3 defensive tackle his entire career, will play defensive end or if he will be a run-stuffing nose tackle.
“I’d like to see whether we can get some nose reps from him when he gets here for camp because sometimes there’s a lot of projections especially in this defense,” Trgovac said. “His length is a big plus wherever we put him because nowadays with lineman being able to grab you, his arm length can help him create that leverage you need.”
Former MSU wide receivers Chad Bumphis (Miami Dolphins) and Arceto Clark (Seattle Seahawks) and former linebacker Cameron Lawrence (Dallas Cowboys) received invitations to training camps immediately following the draft.
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