Bulldogs in the NFL

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Week 17 of the NFL season has come to a close, and it is time to take a look at how the 19 former Bulldogs who have gone #FromStateToSundays fared.

In the 2016 NFL regular season, seven former Bulldogs appeared in all 16 games for their teams and five started all 16. Going into the playoffs, eight Bulldogs will be on postseason rosters in the pursuit of Super Bowl LI: Denico Autry and Gabe Jackson (Oakland Raiders), Chris Jones (Kansas City Chiefs), Benardrick McKinney (Houston Texans), Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys), Deontae Skinner (New York Giants), Darius Slay (Detroit Lions) and K.J. Wright (Seattle Seahawks).

The favorites going into the playoffs are the 13-3 Dallas Cowboys, led by rookie quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott replaced injured veteran Tony Romo as the starting quarterback in Week One and held the spot through the season as the Cowboys won 11 straight games after losing the opener. In Week Six, Prescott broke the record for most pass attempts without an interception to start a career, previously held by four-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. He shared another distinction with the Patriots quarterback this season, being the only other quarterback to throw four or fewer interceptions while attempting at least 400 passes. Through the course of the season, Prescott completed 311-459 passes for 3,667 yards and 23 touchdowns, and ran for 282 yards and six touchdowns.

Linebackers Benardrick McKinney and K.J. Wright both had career highs in tackles while finishing eleventh and thirteenth, respectively, among the league leaders in the category. In only his second season, McKinney is the only player to record at least 100 tackles and five sacks this season, while Wright finished with 126 tackles and 4.0 sacks. Wright had one of his best games of the season in Week 17, recording seven tackles and a sack. Pro Bowl defensive lineman Fletcher Cox led among former Bulldogs in sacks, with 6.5 for the Eagles, while Preston Smith collected 4.5 sacks and Pernell McPhee recorded 4.0 sacks despite only playing nine games due to injury.

Cornerback Darius Slay collected eight tackles as the Detroit Lions tried to clinch the final NFC division postseason spot in Week 17. Despite a loss, Darius Slay was the eighth Bulldog to help his team clinch a playoff berth. Twice in 2016, Slay was the hero in fourth quarter situations, forcing a fumble against Philadelphia in Week Five and intercepting a pass in Week Nine to set up game-winning field goals for the Lions.

On Monday, offensive lineman Blaine Clausell signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers. Clausell had spent the final portion of the 2016 season on the team's practice squad.

Below is a list of former Mississippi State student-athletes who are currently with NFL teams. Please use the link to view season and career statistics from NFL.com.

Bulldogs in the NFL

NAME	AT MSU	TEAM	YEARS IN LEAGUE	POS	SEASON STATS	LAST WEEK
Denico Autry	2012-13	Oakland Raiders	3	DE	16 G, 7 GS, 29 TKL, 21 TT, 8 AST, 2.5 SCK, 2 PBU	Started and collected four tackles against Denver.
Johnthan Banks	2009-12	Chicago Bears	4	CB	9 G, 2 GS, 6 TKL, 4 TT, 2 AST, 1 PBU	Started and collected three tackles against Minnesota.
Taveze Calhoun	2011-2015	New Orleans Saints	2	CB	1 G	Saw action against Atlanta.
Fletcher Cox^	2009-11	Philadelphia Eagles	5	DE	16 G, 16 GS, 43 TKL, 27 TT, 16 AST, 6.5 SCK, 1 FF, 2 PBU	Started and collected three tackles in 27-13 win against the Cowboys.
Gabe Jackson	2009-13	Oakland Raiders	3	G	16 G, 16 GS	Started against Denver.
Kaleb Eulls	2010-14	San Diego Chargers	2	DL	--	Inactive during Week 17.
Chris Jones	2013-15	Kansas City Chiefs	R	DL	16 G, 11 GS, 28 TKL, 17 TT, 11 AST, 2 SCK, 4 PBU	Started and collected four tackles in 37-27 win at San Diego.
Kyle Love	2010-2016	Carolina Panthers	5	DL	10 G, 1 GS, 15 TKL, 7 TT, 8 AST, 1.5 SCK, 1 FF	Collected three tackles against Tampa Bay.
Benardrick McKinney	2011-14	Houston Texans	2	LB	16 G, 16 GS, 129 TKL, 79 TT, 50 AST, 5.0 SCK, 1 FF, 2 PBU	Started and collected a tackle against Tennessee.
Pernell McPhee	2009-10	Chicago Bears	6	LB	9 G, 16 TKL, 13 TT, 3 AST, 4.0 SCK, 1 FF	Inactive during Week 17.
Dak Prescott^	2011-15	Dallas Cowboys	R	QB	16 G, 16 GS, 311-459, 3,667 YDS, 23 TD 57 ATT, 282 YDS, 6 TD	Started, completed four of eight pass for 37 yards in two drives against Philadelphia.
Deontae Skinner	2009-2012	New York Giants	2	LB	4 G, 5 TKL, 5 TT	Collected a tackle in 19-10 win at Washington.
Darius Slay	2011-12	Detroit Lions	4	CB	13 G, 13 GS, 44 TKL, 43 TT, 1 AST, 1.0 SCK, 2 INT, 13 PBU, 1 FF	Started and collected eight tackles against the Packers.
Preston Smith	2011-14	Washington Redskins	2	LB	16 G, 16 GS, 39 TKL, 22 TT, 17 AST, 4.5 SCK, 1 INT, 3 PBU	Started and collected four tackles against the Giants.
Will Redmond*	2012-15	San Francisco 49ers	R	CB	--	Will miss the remainder of the 2016 season.
K.J. Wright	2007-10	Seattle Seahawks	6	LB	16 G, 16 GS, 126 TKL, 72 TT, 54 AST, 4.0 SCK, 5 PBU, 1 FF	Started, collected seven tackles and a sack in 25-23 win at San Francisco.

* Injured Reserve
^ 2017 Pro Bowl Selection
Teams in bold have clinched playoff berths

The following have been placed on their team's practice squad:

Ryan Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
Blaine Clausell, Carolina Panthers
Dillon Day, Denver Broncos

Mississippi State University Athletics

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