Kenny Willekes had to wait longer than most projections forecasted but the Spartan defensive end finally heard his name called on Saturday, getting selected No. 225 overall as a seventh round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings.

Only two Spartans were selected in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Linebacker Joe Bachie and defensive tackle Raequan Williams were projected to get selected, but will have to settle for the free agent route. Quarterback Brian Lewerke, wide receivers Darrell Stewart and Cody White will also be among the former Spartans seeking a free agent opportunity.

Willekes was projected as a mid-round draft candidate coming into the weekend.

The two-time, first-team All-Big Ten selection is MSU’s all-time leader in tackles for loss with 51.

He was Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year as a junior in 2018. He was strongly considering moving straight to the NFL after his junior season, but sustained a broken leg in the Redbox Bowl against Oregon in late December of 2018. That injury forced him to rehab and return to Michigan State as a senior.

Willekes had a good senior season, but wasn’t as consistently disruptive and explosive as he was during his junior year.

“I didn't really get an offseason because my leg, so I really wasn't that strong or in shape like I was the year before,” Willekes told the Detroit Free Press on Thursday. “It was a little harder coming back from that than I expected. it bothered me a lot of the year. I just wasn't quite 100 percent. I don't like to make excuses and I wasn't complaining about it. I just wasn't completely ready. My doctor that I see back home said I probably came back a little too early.”

Willekes ran a mediocre 4.87 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. His arm length is also shorter than the scouts prefer. But Willekes jumped well (9 feet, 9 inches) at the combine and posted a lofty 35 on the Wonderlic test.

Now, as a seventh round pick, he will have to fight his way onto the Vikings’ roster, again as an underdog, as was the case when he arrived at Michigan State as a preferred walk-on linebacker. Willekes became a three-year starter and won the Burlsworth Trophy, given annually to the top player nationally who began his career as a walk-on.

“I weigh 270 right now, and I'm moving better than I ever have,” Willekes told the Free Press. “I'm definitely in the best shape my life.”

On the Vikings roster, Willekes will join fellow Spartan and West Michigan native Kirk Cousins.