STARKVILLE, Miss. — Former Mississippi State defensive end Marquiss Spencer and running back Kylin Hill were both picked in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft on Saturday to extend MSU’s streak of having at least one player selected every year since 2010.
The Denver Broncos selected Spencer with the 253rd pick, while the Green Bay Packers selected Hill with the 256th pick.
Spencer, a 6-foot-4, 300-pounder, played in 51 games for The Bulldogs with 23 starts. He recorded 106 tackles, 22 1⁄2 tackles for loss and seven sacks. He started his career as an interior defensive lineman before moving to defensive end as an upperclassman.
As a senior in 2020, the native of Greenwood, Mississippi, started nine games before missing the final two due to an injury. He tallied 30 tackles, eight tackles for loss and three sacks.
Hill, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound running back out of Columbus, Mississippi, finished his Bulldog career with 2,535 yards rushing and 16 rushing touchdowns on 452 carries. He also caught 67 balls for 631 yards and six more scores.
As a junior, He rushed for 1,350 yards and 10 touchdowns and was the Southeastern Conference’s leading rusher. He went on to earn first-team all-SEC honors for his efforts.
Hill entered the national spotlight during the offseason as he advocated for the state of Mississippi to remove the Confederate emblem from its state flag. The flag was eventually changed, and Hill’s hometown awarded him with a city key in honor of his stand.
Following the draft, wide receiver Osirus Mitchell, safety Marcus Murphy, linebacker Erroll Thompson, offensive lineman Greg Eiland, offensive lineman Dareuan Parker and defensive end Kobe Jones inked contracts as undrafted free agents.
Mitchell signed a deal with the Dallas Cowboys, while Murphy, Thompson and Jones signed deals with the Atlanta Falcons. Eiland and Parker signed deals with the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears, respectively.
Mitchell, a 6-foot-5, 210-pounder from Sarasota, Florida, played in 46 games for the Maroon and White with 30 starts. He made 107 catches for 1,413 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns.
As a senior, Mitchell caught 47 passes for 505 yards receiving and four touchdowns in 11 games.
Murphy, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound safety, played in 23 games with 67 total tackles and two interceptions. He played six games in 2020 before he chose to opt out. He finished with 34 tackles.
Thompson, a 6-foot-1, 250-pound linebacker from Florence, Alabama, finished his career with 313 combined tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 9 1⁄2 sacks and three interceptions in 50 games played.
He served as the senior leader of the defense in 2020 and finished with 96 tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks in 11 games.
Eiland. a 6-foot-8, 335-pound offensive lineman from Philadelphia, Mississippi, played in 47 career games with 34 starts on the offensive line. He started nine games as a senior in 2020.
Parker, a 6-foot-4, 355-pound offensive lineman from Olive Branch, Mississippi, appeared in 47 career games with 22 starts. As a senior in 2020, he earned third-team all-SEC honors from Pro Football Focus at right guard.
Per PFF, he owned the most pass blocking snaps (571) in the nation and was the highest-graded offensive player (75.5) on the Bulldogs.
Jones, a 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive end, played in 50 career games for the Bulldogs with 13 starts. The Starkville native compiled 102 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
As a senior, he totaled 32 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks. He was also named to the SEC Community Service Team.