Two former Michigan State football players move to the UFL’s Michigan Panthers

Some former Michigan State University football players are aiming to move up to the professional league.

Former offensive lineman JD Duplain was selected in the ninth round by the Michigan Panthers on Wednesday afternoon, joining former Spartan Rocky Lombardi, who was selected by the same team in the fifth round.

This draft selected players that were not selected in this spring’s NFL Draft. Duplain was hoping to hear his name called in the NFL Draft after starting over 40 games for the Spartans during his career on the offensive line, but unfortunately he was not selected.

The same goes for former Michigan State quarterback Rocky Lombardi, who spent the 2021-23 season at Northern Illinois. He’s not the only former Michigan State gunslinger joining the Panthers, either, as Brian Lewerke was on the team as a backup last season.

Michigan has selected 10 players, and 20 percent of them have suited up for Michigan State. And a third could be on the roster when the season resumes next spring.

While this isn’t exactly the career path Duplain expected when he started at Michigan State and went through the draft process, he’ll get a chance to prove himself, and there are plenty of examples of guys going from the XFL and USFL (now UFL) to the NFL. Perhaps one of these former Michigan State starters is next.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Duplain would shine at Michigan and even move up to the second line. He has been a stabilizing force on the offensive line for the past few years.

Oh yeah, and Rocky Lombardi is a Michigan State legend because of what he did to Michigan in 2020.

It will be easy to cheer these two guys on at the next level.