Shilique Calhoun Drafted in Third Round by the Oakland Raiders

Last year after the Cotton Bowl win over Baylor, Shilique Calhoun had a decision to make. He chose to come back to Michigan State with Connor Cook to try and win a championship. After the Cotton Bowl this year there was no decision, the Senior was going to the draft.

Well, on Friday night Calhoun became the newest member of the Oakland Raiders after they used the 75th pick in the draft on the 6'4" DE from MIddletown, NJ.

Calhoun was a staple on the defensive line for some of the most storied and stingy Spartan defenses over the past few year. The Senior played in 54 games in the Green and White, starting in 42 of them. He was the leading pass rusher for the Spartans last year, racking up 49 tackles and 10.5 sacks in 2015 (which is incredibly impressive give the fact that many times her was drawing more than one blocker.

The Raiders also selected another DE with the 44th pick in fellow Big Ten big man, Jihad Ward from the University of Illinois. Adding their first round pick of Karl Joseph from West Virginia, it looks like the Raiders are placing a premium on young talent on the defensive side of the ball to help win a few more games behind Derek Carr and the revitalized Oakland offense.

As any Spartan fan would know, Calhoun is a gritty DE who has some speed off the edge and not only knows how to strip the ball but has soft hands and has come down with plenty of batted interceptions in the past. That type of agility and quickness could really offer him a chance to make a name for himself in Cali next season.