*Walt taking 2014 and 2018 |
Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst |
Sources See Shilique Calhoun in Late First
Updated Nov. 13, 2015By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.
Michigan State defensive end Shilique Calhoun has been a known prospect ever since his sophomore season in 2013 when had a breakout year in the Big 10 with 7.5 sacks. As a junior, Calhoun had a slow start to the year before heating up in the second half. There was talk of him declaring for the draft, but he wisely decided to return to East Lansing for his senior year.
This season, Calhoun has played consistently well for Michigan State, and he has helped his draft stock with NFL teams. Last year, teams thought of him as a mid-second-day pick if he had declared early, and now teams believe that he could end up going in the first round.
Sources told us that they like Calhoun for a 4-3 defense. They say that they like his make-up, character and size. Sources said they would like to see more consistent effort from Calhoun, but the Spartans don’t rotate him very much, and Calhoun could be pacing himself to play four quarters.
Some teams are grading Calhoun as an early second-round pick, but say they wouldn’t be at all surprised if a team takes him late in the first round. Calhoun has a chance to improve his stock even more with a strong finish to the season and if he performs well at the Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine. Calhoun was wise to return for his senior year and has improved his draft stock significantly this fall.
Heading into some games with top opponents like Ohio State and Michigan, Calhoun has eight sacks, 30 tackles, 10.5 for a loss and a pass batted on the season and is on pace to produce career highs for production.
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