Michigan State punter Ryan Eckley selected in round six of 2026 NFL Draft by Baltimore Ravens

The Spartans' 2025 football campaign did not achieve the level of success that fans hoped for during the summer, but Michigan State was elite at at least one position: punter. That was due to the play of All-American punter Ryan Eckley, and now Eckley will get a chance to live out his NFL dreams.

On Saturday afternoon in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, Eckley was selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the 211th overall pick. Eckley was the second Spartan to be drafted in 2026, just behind center Matt Gulbin, who was picked up by the Washington Commanders just two picks earlier in the sixth round (No. 209 overall).

Eckley is also the sixth former Michigan State punter to hear his name called in the NFL Draft. He was preceded by Ray Stachowicz (third round pick by the Green Bay Packers in 1981), Greg Montgomery (third round pick by the Houston Oilers in 1988), Craig Jarrett (sixth round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2002), Brandon Fields (seventh round pick by the Miami Dolphins in 2007), and Bryce Baringer (sixth round pick by the New England Patriots in 2023 and current starter).

Eckley left Michigan State University as one of the most decorated punters in school history. He ranks No. 13 all-time at MSU with 7,094 punting yards on 149 total punts, but over his four-year career he set both the school record and Big Ten record in punting average at 47.6 yards per punt. He led the Big Ten in punting average in both 2024 (47.9 yards per punt) and in 2025 (48.5 yards per punt).

In 2025, Eckley was named the Big Ten Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year and was a consensus member of the All-Big Ten first-team. He also received second-team All-American accolades from ESPN and the American Football Coaches Association, and third team All-American accolades from the Associated Press.

Eckley gained a reputation, especially in his final year, for his ability to pin opponents deep within their own territory. Over his career, 27 of his punts were downed inside the 10-yard line, 34% of his punts (50 out of 149) were downed inside the 20-yard line, and 45% of his punts went or over 50 yards.

In 2022, Eckley arrived in East Lansing as a true freshman and the backup to first-team All-American Bryce Baringer. Eckley attempted just a single punt in Week Two against Akron in his first season in Green and White.

In 2023 as a redshirt freshman, he took over the role of starting punter and excelled immediately. He averaged 46.7 yards per punt, had 24 punts of at least 50 yards and downed 23 total punts inside the 20-yard line. He earned a position on the first-team Freshman All-American team by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and The Athletic. Eckley was also named to the All-Big Ten second-team by both the coaches and media.

Eckley continued to improve in his second year as a starter. In 2024, he improved his average to 47.9 yards per punt, which led the Big Ten and was fourth in the FBS. He was elected as a member of the All-Big Ten second-team by the coaches and was selected to the third-team by the media. He was also named as an honorable mention All-American selection by Phil Steele.

In his final year on campus in 2025, Eckley posted a career-best 48.5-yards per punt average. This was the second-best all-time Michigan State average for a punter behind only Baringer's record of 49.0 yards per punt in 2022.

Eckley will now have a chance to start at punter right away for the Ravens. He will play under newly-hired head coach Jesse Minter.