Three Mississippi State players — one from each level of the defense — were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, making it 15 consecutive years that the Bulldogs have had at least one draftee.
Cornerback Decamerion Richardson was first off the board, going to the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round (112th overall). Richardson is 6-foot-2, on the taller side for a cornerback, and led all Southeastern Conference defensive backs in tackles in 2023. He became a starter as a junior in 2022 and led MSU with seven pass breakups in his senior season.
A Bulldogs cornerback has now been selected in the last three drafts, after Martin Emerson went to the Cleveland Browns in 2022 and Emmanuel Forbes went to the Washington Commanders last year.
Richardson impressed at the NFL Scouting Combine with a 4.34-second 40-yard dash, the seventh-fastest among all prospects and third-best among cornerbacks. He never intercepted a pass or forced a fumble for MSU, but he did return a blocked field goal for a touchdown against Texas A&M in 2022.
Defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy went to the Carolina Panthers in the sixth round (200th overall) following a six-year collegiate career in Starkville. A starter in 2020 and 2021, Crumedy battled injuries in 2022 and came back to start every game this past fall, setting career highs with 2.5 sacks and 35 tackles.
Crumedy ran a sub-5 second 40-yard dash at the combine, an impressive time for a defensive lineman. He becomes the latest in a long line of Bulldog defensive linemen to get a chance at the next level — Chris Jones and Montez Sweat are two of the NFL’s best at the moment, and Cameron Young was taken in the fourth round last year by Seattle.
Six picks later, the Cleveland Browns took linebacker Nathaniel “Bookie” Watson, coming off a season in which he led the SEC in both tackles and sacks and racked up a long list of accolades, including AP SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Like Crumedy, Watson also spent six years in the maroon and white, becoming a starter in 2021.
Watson is the first MSU linebacker drafted since Willie Gay and Brian Cole were both taken in 2020. He finished his Bulldog career with back-to-back games of 21 tackles against Southern Mississippi and Ole Miss.
Following the draft, safety Marcus Banks signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent. Banks came to MSU in 2022 after three seasons at Alabama and played mostly on special teams in his first year as a Bulldog, but became a starter in 2023 and had three pass breakups. He also scored a touchdown against Southern Miss on a lateral from linebacker Jett Johnson following an interception.
Wide receiver and kick returner Lideatrick “Tulu” Griffin signed with the Raiders following the draft, according to a report from NFL Network. Griffin led all of college football in 2022 in average yards per kick return, and this past fall he set MSU’s single-game program record with 256 receiving yards against South Carolina.
Linebacker Jett Johnson signed late Saturday night with the New York Jets following six seasons with the Bulldogs. He led the SEC in tackles in 2022 before finishing second to Watson last year, and also intercepted three passes in his final season, the most among SEC linebackers. After a two-interception game against Arizona, Johnson was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week.
Safety Shawn Preston Jr. was invited to rookie minicamp for his hometown New Orleans Saints. Preston was raised in St. James, La., and was the most productive player in MSU’s secondary last year, intercepting three passes and breaking up three more.
Wide receiver Freddie Roberson also received a rookie minicamp invite with his hometown team, the Seattle Seahawks. Roberson starred at Eastern Washington before spending his final collegiate season with the Bulldogs, where he finished with 11 receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown.
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