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While Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen works to bring a title to Starkville, another of his Bulldogs has made his way to Titletown, U.S.A., as defensive end Denico Autry has signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Green Bay Packers.
Packers have agreed to terms with 2 UDFA not already reported, Alabama OLB Adrian Hubbard n Miss.State DE Denico Autry, per NFL sources.
— Pete Dougherty (@PeteDougherty) May 11, 2014
Autry came to Mississippi State after a stellar junior college career at East Mississippi Community College. The 6' 4", 265 pound lineman picked up first team NJCAA All-American honors after a monster season saw him pick up 11 sacks and an unheard of 41 quarterback hurries as he helped the Lions claim the NJCAA National Championship.
In his two years in Starkville, Autry started 23 of 26 games and registered 73 total tackles with 16 tackles for a loss and six sacks while forcing three fumbles.
The final four games of Autry's junior season may have been his most productive. In those four games, he picked up four tackles for a loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles, three quarterback hurries, an interception and a pass broken up.
His performance against the LSU Tigers, five tackles, two tackles for a loss, a 16-yard sack and a forced fumble, earned Autry honorable mention for Defensive Lineman of the Week from CollegeFootballPerformanceAwards.com.
Of note, Autry spent some of his workouts with teams on the defensive line and at the outside linebacker position.