(Photo: Dale G. Young, Detroit News)
East Lansing — When Michigan State defensive end Kenny Willekes crumbled to the turf at Levi’s Stadium on New Year’s Eve, he knew his immediate future had just been determined.
Willekes was doing what he does best, getting after the quarterback. As he worked his way around Oregon left tackle Penei Sewell on his way toward the Ducks’ Justin Herbert, Willekes’ left leg buckled.
“I heard it pop,” Willekes recalled on Thursday as Michigan State’s spring workouts winded down.
Willekes, the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year last season, who had started to hear his name crop up in NFL Draft discussion, knew at that moment where he would be in 2019.