One of the most important dates in the NFL this year will not even be a game day. That date is January 15th. That is the date by which any underclassman who wishes to enter the NFL draft must declare by. And with another very talented group pondering that very decision, lets take a look at what they need to consider.
When deciding to leave early the most influential factor has to be money. Oftentimes the allure of a large signing bonus can draw a player out sooner than is recommended. You have to take a look at from a player’s prospective. If you have millions of dollars offered to you to play the game you love why would you not take it. Returning for you senior year does not always guarantee a better position on the draft board. For starters you could be returning to a team that is headed for a down year. And fair or not if you are a key player on that team your draft status could take a hit costing you thousands of dollars in bonuses. Then there is the ever present threat of an injury, just ask Willis Mcgahee. So why would a player not jump at the chance to turn pro?
The argument to stay is actually just as strong. The opportunity to win a championship. Many players will return if their team is a legitimate contender to win national or even a conference title. Sometimes the desire to simply beat a rival is enough to keep a player in the college ranks for another year. Chad Henne, Michael Hart, and Jake Long were all projected to be high draft picks at the end of their junior season. They all agreed that they wanted to return for another year to have one final chance to beat their archrival Ohio State. In the end it they couldn’t get it done, but they were able to get their elusive bowl win. The idea of having their name in the record books is also enough to keep a player around. Especially for a player who may have just missed winning the heisman, they may want to return for another year for a chance to claim their spot in history. Then there is the possibility that a play simply might not be ready for the next level. Taking another year to fine tune their game could pay off the following year with a much improved draft position.
Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida Kenny Phillips, S, Miami Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois James Hardy, WR, Indiana Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas Calais Campbell, DE, Miami Brandon Flowers, CB, Virginia Tech Pat Sims, DT, Auburn Ray Rice, RB, Rutgers Jerod Mayo, LB, Tennessee Anthony Collins, OT, Kansas James Davis, RB Clemson Cornelius Ingram, TE, Florida |
Chase Daniel, QB, Missouri Travis Beckum, TE, Wisconsin Alex Mack, C, California Chase Coffman, TE, Missouri Rey Maualuga, LB, USC Sean Lee, LB, Penn State Brian Cushing, LB, USC |
There are still quite a few big names that have yet to officially declare one way or the other. Names that include Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas, James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State, DeSean Jackson, WR, Cal, Malcolm Kelly, WR, Oklahoma, and Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State, to name a few. It is going to be a critical next couple of days that will dramatically shape the upcoming draft as we wait on the final decisions of these impact players.
At this point it’s hard to tell who made the right decision about entering the draft. We won’t know till next year who made the right call and by then there will be a whole different list of underclassman that will be the topic of debate.
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