It’s been one of the more memorable seasons for former Mississippi State players in the NFL and the Pro Bowl selections announced last week prove just that.
For the second time in three years, a trio of former Bulldogs were selected to the prestigious postseason game between the NFC and the AFC. All three were defensive players as Houston linebacker Benardrick McKinney, Philadelphia defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and Detroit cornerback Darius Slay all earned spots on the Pro Bowl rosters.
Prior to 2016, MSU had multiple Pro Bowlers just once in a single season hen Ode Burrell and Joe Fortunato made the game in 1965. They’ve accomplished that feat each of the last three years and equal the highest total of alums in the Pro Bowl that they had in 2016 when Cox, Dak Prescott and K.J. Wright made the teams.
McKinney is making his debut on a pro bowl roster as the fourth-year linebacker for the Houston Texans is in the middle of one of his better seasons. He’s currently at 96 tackles and 1.5 sacks on the season as the Texans lead the AFC South and have the second best record in the conference at 10-4 with two games to go.
The Rosa Fort native was a former three-star recruit with a lone offer from MSU. Dan Mullen converted the high school quarterback to linebacker and he became a Freshman All-American in 2012 and was First-Team All-SEC during his junior season in 2014 before going pro. He was drafted in the second round by the Texans in 2015.
For Cox, this is Pro Bowl number four in his illustrious seven-year career with the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s just one more Pro Bowl away from tying the record for MSU alums of five by Fortunato. Cox has dominated the line of scrimmage over his career and racked up 41.5 sacks, and this season is close to being his best at rushing the passer with 7.5 sacks. He lacks 2.5 more quarterback bags to pass his best season of 9.5 in 2014.
The former Yazoo City standout had a great three-year career with MSU. In 2011, he was the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week four times and was a First-Team All-SEC pick as well as an All-American. He would be the highest drafted Bulldog since 1983 when he went 13th overall to the Eagles in 2012.
Finally, Slay is making his second-straight appearance in the Pro Bowl as he’s become one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks over the last few years. The former Itawamba Community College athlete from Georgia is in his sixth season with the Lions and coming off a remarkable season at corner where he led the NFL with eight interceptions.
This year, Slay has three picks and a touchdown and Slay was a relative unknown when he was signed with the Bulldogs out of high school without many options but his speed was his biggest attribute. He didn’t get much playing time as a junior but would make up one half of a dominating corner duo between he and former East Webster standout Jonthan Banks. Though Banks got the accolades with the Thorpe Award and All-American honors, Slay also earned some notoriety with second-team All-SEC marks and Honorable Mention All-American. He’s also put together a nice career to top it off.
The Pro Bowl will be played in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 27.
