School-Record Six Bulldogs Invited to 2016 NFL Combine
February 11, 2016 | Football
STARKVILLE, Miss. – A school-record six members of the 2015 Mississippi State football team have been invited to the 2016 NFL Combine in Indianapolis later this month, the league office announced Thursday.
All six played pivotal roles in the most successful two-year stretch in MSU history. The invites include: linebacker Beniquez Brown, cornerback Taveze Calhoun, defensive tackle Chris Jones, quarterback Dak Prescott, cornerback Will Redmond and wide receiver De'Runnya Wilson.
The six invitees eclipse the previous MSU single-Combine record of five in 2000. MSU is tied for fifth in the Southeastern Conference in NFL Combine invites this year, one year after the Bulldogs produced four. Under head coach Dan Mullen, 25 MSU players have been invited to the NFL Combine since 2010. View a list of former MSU players who have been invited to the event since 1999 here.
From Feb. 23-29, the players will go through six measurable drills – 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill and shuttle run -- in front of representatives of all 32 league teams. Several will attend MSU's Pro Timing Day on March 10 as well.
Brown, Jones and Wilson all declared for the NFL Draft following their junior seasons last fall. Brown ranked second on the squad in tackles with 99 and was second in the SEC in blocked kicks with two. Jones was a second-team All-America selection by Pro Football Focus following a 2015 campaign in which he produced 44 tackles, including 7.5 for loss. Wilson is the first Bulldog wide receiver to receive an invite since Justin Jenkins in 2004.
Prescott was named most outstanding player of the Senior Bowl last month and has been training in Orlando. The owner of 38 school records, he is considered one of the top five quarterbacks in the draft. The cornerback tandem of Calhoun-Redmond combined for 40 passes defended in the past three seasons. Redmond's senior year was cut short after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee on Oct. 20. He has since had surgery and is working hard to get back to full strength.
All six players helped the Bulldogs to their highest two-year win total (19) in school history, including a 10-3 campaign in 2014 and a 9-4 mark in 2015.
