Nick Samac returned to Michigan State football for a fifth year last fall, but a broken leg ended his final season prematurely.
That didn’t stop him from becoming the latest Spartan to be selected in the NFL draft.
Samac was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the seventh round at No. 228 overall Saturday in the event hosted in downtown Detroit, the first MSU offensive lineman taken since A.J. Arcuri went to the Chargers in the seventh round of the 2022 draft and the first MSU center selected since the Rams took Brian Allen in 2018’s fourth round.
“I’m blessed to be a part of that amazing organization and to prove to everybody that this was a great pick,” Samac said by phone Saturday evening. “It’s definitely been a journey throughout my last year, and I’ve just gonna do everything to get back right. And I’ve been on a good path.
“I’m kind of speechless.”
FORMER SPARTAN:Buffalo Bills pick WR Keon Coleman in Round 2 of 2024 NFL draft.
That means a Spartan has been picked in 83 of the 84 NFL drafts. MSU’s 80-year streak ended in 2021.
When the call finally came in the final round, Samac said “it was an insane moment” he was still trying to process about a half hour later.
“It’s been a long weekend waiting to hear my name called,” he said. “So when that call came in, you’re never really 100% sure what’s gonna happen. It was getting close to the end. So when I got that phone call and I was told the news, I started getting a little shaky and a little emotional there.
“My dad grabbed me, and anytime I’m in a moment like that and my dad touches my shoulder or my back, I instantly break down. It was a great moment to be right next to my mom and dad during that experience. And, yeah, just speechless.”
Samac suffered a broken left fibula on the first drive of the Spartans’ next-to-last game of the season, Nov. 18 at Indiana. He received invitations to the East-West Shrine Bowl and the NFL scouting combine but was unable to participate on the field in either. Samac said during the Big Ten Network broadcast of MSU’s final practice last Saturday that he was “getting back healthy.”
“They know, and I’ve talked to coach and let him know,” Samac said Saturday. “A couple weeks after the draft is really my clearance date, so I’ll be back before I know it.”
The 6-foot-4, 307-pound native of Mentor, Ohio, started 32 of his 48 games at MSU after arriving in 2019 as a Mark Dantonio recruit. Samac played all 2,427 of his snaps at center during his five-year college career that was extended into 2023 with the NCAA’s pandemic waiver for the 2020 season.
Before his injury, Samac was one of the main voices for the Spartans during their tumultuous 2023 season that saw the in-season firing of former coach Mel Tucker. Samac also was a vocal leader in the locker room prior to that, even despite having what he called a minor and partial pectoral tear during preseason camp that he played through early in the season.
“I would say handling adversity comes with just experience,” Samac said. “Obviously Michigan State got dealt a good bit of adversity. And I think just going through it through the years, having good mentors when I was younger and to seeing how they handled adversity, and then growing into my own person and own leader, I think that’s the main thing. You experience things and learn how to handle different situations based on that. I’ve always just prided myself on just being the best I can be every single day and never changing who I am. …
“Just different things with the coaching changes at Michigan State this past year, that was tough, being in my fifth year. But it gave me a chance to really grow my leadership, because it wasn’t easy by any means.”
Last year, wide receiver Jayden Reed went in the second round to Green Bay with the 50th overall pick. Punter Bryce Baringer and defensive back Ameer Speed both went to New England in the sixth round.
Samac now gets a chance to go play for the Ravens and coach John Harbaugh, brother of former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. Samac said he did not have much contact with Baltimore coaches during the pre-draft process but did talk with them at the Shrine Bowl. He’ll also get to learn behind former Iowa star center Tyler Linderbaum, Baltimore’s first-round pick in 2022.
“They get a hard worker, somebody that’s gonna bring it every single day 110%,” Samac said. “I’m not gonna back down from any challenge, and I’m gonna overcome any adversity that comes my way.”
Contact Chris Solari:csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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