2021 NFL Draft: Michigan State defensive tackle Naquan Jones signed by Tennessee Titans

Another former Michigan State Spartan football player will get a shot at the NFL. Soon after the completion of all seven rounds of the NFL draft, defensive tackle Naquan Jones signed a free agent deal with the Tennessee Titans. Jones joins fellow Spartans Shakur Brown (Pittsburgh Steelers) in signing with a team as an undrafted free agent on Saturday evening.

After Michigan State’s pro day on March 24, Jones spoke about the opportunity to complete his dream and compete in the NFL:

“I’ve dreamt of this forever, for when I started playing football,” Jones said about the opportunity to play in the NFL. “It’s just one step closer. I set some goals for myself during this draft process, and I was able to meet many of them, and I’m still working toward meeting the rest of them.”

We’ll he didn’t get drafted, he will still have a chance to earn a roster spot on an NFL team.

Jones came to East Lansing from Evanston, Illinois as a four-star member of the highly-touted and highly disappointing 2016 recruiting class. Of the nine total four-star rated recruits in the class, only Jones and current Pittsburgh Steeler cornerback Justin Layne completed their college careers in a Green and White uniform.

Jones redshirted his first year with the Spartans, but he started to make an immediate impact in his first year on the field in 2017 as a part of the defensive line rotation. In 2017, Jones was credited with 13 tackles, one solo, and five of which were for a loss.

Over his four-year career as a Spartan, Jones racked up a total of 77 tackles, 29 of which were solo tackles, 14.5 of which were for a loss, including two sacks over 39 career games. He even recovered a fumble last year in the season opener against Rutgers.

Good luck, Naquan!

A selection of some of his best plays as a Spartan are shown here: