Insider notes on Maryland and Michigan State: Draft grades for top prospects ft. Caleb Wheatland, Jack Velling, and more

The Maryland Terrapins have offered a decent amount of talent to the NFL Draft, having a player selected on Day 1 or 2 every year since 2022. This past April was a banner draft for the program, as Maryland had a half-dozen players selected. The outlook for the team, and potentially the coach, is not looking good next year. Meanwhile Michigan State is still in the rebuilding process and will continue to offer the draft nothing more than Day 3 prospects.

Maryland

Linebacker Caleb Wheatland is the only Terrapins player with a draftable grade on my board. He’s a terrific run-defending linebacker who makes a lot of tackles up the field and in pursuit. Wheatland’s skills in coverage are also solid. He’s bigger than former Maryland linebacker Ruben Hyppolite, who was selected in the fourth round by the Bears this past April, though he’s not as fast.

Most scouts have a draftable grade on safety Jalin Huskey, who comes with average size and speed. Huskey is solid against the run and pass though he has no outstanding physical feature in his game.

I would not be surprised if receiver Octavian Smith Jr. ends up in the late rounds next year. He’s a smaller receiver, yet he’s super quick with terrific speed. With the Terps’ top two receivers from last year (Tai Felton and Kaden Prather) both on NFL rosters, Smith is poised for a breakout campaign.

Maryland Prospects
Grade	Rnd	Pos	Full Name	Yr	#
3.38	6th	ILB	Caleb Wheatland	4Sr	44
3.19	FA	S	Jalin Huskey	4Sr	22
3.12	FA	WR	Octavian Smith Jr.	4Sr	5
3.01	FA	WR	Jalil Farooq	5Sr	1

---

Michigan State

Jack Velling followed his head coach from Oregon State to Michigan State and is one of the better sleepers at the tight end position. Velling lacks the size and speed to be an early draft pick, rather he’s a good football player who catches the ball extremely well and gives effort blocking. He has enough ability to develop into a third tight end on a roster.

There are a lot of scouts that grade Nikai Martinez as a late-round pick, as he has next-level size as well as speed. Martinez is a tough run defender who must improve his coverage skills. He’s a hard-working defender with a ton of upside.

Keep an eye on Elijah Tau-Tolliver, a transfer from Sacramento State. He’s a hard-charging interior ball carrier who has constantly shown the ability to pick up the difficult yardage.

Michigan State Prospects
Grade	Rnd	Pos	Full Name	Yr	#
3.47	5th	TE	Jack Velling	4Sr	12
3.28	7th	S	Nikai Martinez	4Sr	1
3.24	FA	RB	Elijah Tau-Tolliver	5Sr	4
3.23	FA	S	Malik Spencer	4Sr	43
3.22	FA	CB	Joshua Eaton	5Sr	7
3.18	FA	WR	Omari Kelly	5Sr	1