*Justin Layne – Noteworthy
Justin Layne played at Michigan State, so it’s probably fitting he has a chip on his shoulder. That’s how Michigan State and coach Mark Dantonio became a perennial contender in the Big Ten and it’s the same approach Layne is using this week at the NFL Combine as he tries to prove to teams he’s a cornerback worth taking in the first round of April’s draft. “I’ve talked to a lot of teams,” Layne said on Sunday. “(They say) I’ve got good size, good upside, I use my length to my advantage and they just want to see how fast I am. I’m ready to show them that.” The cornerbacks are set to run on Monday, and Layne has one thing on his mind. “(Show them) that I’m fast,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could.” Where the numbers will stack up for Layne (6-foot-2, 192 pounds) remains to be seen, but speed was never an issue with the Spartans. Layne came to Michigan State in 2016 as a wide receiver out of Cleveland, a four-star recruit with plenty of size and athleticism. – Detroit News
Felton Davis III – Noteworthy
For at least two days, Felton Davis said he just sat in his room. No phone calls. No messages. Mostly just staring at the ceiling, trying to come to grips with his college career being over and his future in the NFL no longer seeming like a given. A ruptured Achilles suffered on Oct. 20 – against Michigan, no less – ended his senior season at Michigan State and forced the normally jovial Davis into a funk. “The first thing that went through my head is I just let my team down over something I couldn’t control,” Davis said Friday at the NFL Combine. “I got real emotional about that because everything I had I put into this last season at Michigan State and I didn’t come out slacking. I put everything I had into it.
“That was my first time being down and sad. But like I said, for the first couple days I didn’t leave my room – just didn’t want to be bothered. I just had to get over the fact that it happened. After that I realized you can’t just dwell on that and you have to go back to your roots and who you are.” Who Davis is – besides a potential NFL draft pick – is one of the most upbeat people you’ll ever meet. – Detroit News
LJ Scott – Noteworthy
LJ Scott didn’t have to think twice when asked what he would bring to an NFL team. The former Michigan State running back who led the Spartans in rushing for three seasons (2015-2017), is healed from the ankle injury that allowed him to play only a handful of games last season and forced him to withdraw from the Senior Bowl, and feels physically rejuvenated. He is here at the NFL Combine ready to go through drills on Friday and is shooting for a low 4.5, 4.49 40-yard dash. Scott measured 6-foot-? and 227 pounds. “I would say, No. 1 would be leadership. No. 2 would be lots of energy. No. 3, obviously, style of play, my physical style of play,” Scott said when asked his best attributes that NFL teams would find appealing.
He decided to leave Michigan State early for a chance at the NFL. “Honestly, it was a family thing,” Scott said. “Me and my mom and a lot of my coaches were talking it over and just the hits as a running back. Obviously, they don’t last that long in the league, so just taking those amounts of hits again next year, you never know what could happen.” Running backs take a huge amount of hits, and that was one of his main considerations. “My body is still pretty fresh,” he said. “I want to keep my body as fresh as possible, so that was one of the main reasons why I decided to come out.” – Detroit News