It came down to the final few picks of Saturday’s NFL draft, but Mississippi State had two players selected in the seventh round.
Senior Marquiss Spencer, a 6-foot-4, 285-pound defensive end was drafted by the Denver Broncos 253rd overall, while running back Kylin Hill, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound running back was taken 256th overall by the Green Bay Packers.
Spencer played in nine games for MSU this season, accumulating 30 total tackles (eight for a loss), finished third on the team in sacks (3) and recorded an interception.
Hill, a Columbus native, led the SEC in rushing in 2019 after compiling 1,350 yards on the ground and 10 rushing touchdowns with an average of 103.8 yards per game. The elusive runner that made a highlight-reel full of hurdles played a huge part in the Bulldogs’ 44-34 Week 1 upset of defending national champion LSU in 2020, catching eight passes for 158 yards and one touchdown. Hill played two more games before being suspended for an outburst following the team’s loss to Kentucky, then opted out of the rest of the season.
Of course, Hill is remembered for a tweet on June 22 of 2020 regarding the Mississippi state flag that bore a confederate emblem, tweeting: “Either change the flag or I won’t be representing this State anymore & I meant that .. I’m tired.” The Mississippi state legislature voted in late June to change the flag and Hill was awarded the key to the city of Columbus on July 21.
Shortly after the draft, MSU senior wideout Osirus Mitchell signed a free agent deal with the Dallas Cowboys after catching 47 passes for 505 yards and four touchdowns in 11 games. West Point native Marcus Murphy also inked a free agent contract, choosing to sign with the Atlanta Falcons. Murphy played six games this season before choosing to opt out for the remaining few games and had 34 combined tackles.
MSU senior linebacker Erroll Thompson, who recently drew the praise of an unknown SEC coach that said Erroll would “stick his head in a wasp’s nest if it would help the team win,” will be joining Murphy in Atlanta after he signed a free agent deal with the Falcons. A longtime starter at middle linebacker and a fan favorite, Thompson led the Bulldogs in tackles this season with 96 while recording three sacks and an interception. The 6-foot-1, 250-pound linebacker also recorded four tackles for a loss and was named to the All-SEC second team.
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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