East Lansing — As Michigan State became one of the best defenses in the nation over the previous four years, much of it was because of its secondary.
They called themselves the “No-Fly Zone” and produced a pair for cornerbacks that went in the first round of the NFL draft in back to back seasons. Darqueze Dennard won the Thorpe Award for the nation’s best defensive back in 2013 and Trae Waynes was a first-team All-Big Ten and a Thorpe semifinalist in 2014.
On top of that, safety Kurtis Drummond — also now in the NFL — was named the Big Ten’s top defensive back last season.