More players entered the NFL Draft pool on Thursday, so without further ado, here’s a look at who’s in, and who’s out
WR - Earl Bennett, Jr. Vanderbilt: The career leader in receptions in the SEC declared on Thursday after a few months of speculation regarding his draft options. Apparently Bennett found his stock to be quite high, and thus decided to take the plunge. Bennett has been the sole offensive threat on a dismal Vanderbilt Commodore team for each of his three years at the Tennessee school. He had statistically speaking, his worst season of his three year collegiate career this past year, seeing his numbers drop 82 catches and 1146 yards to 75 grabs for 830 yards. The fact that 830 yards and 75 catches is a down year says something so this is probably the best time for Bennett to go, especially with the weak senior class at the wide receiver position. The impact on the Vandy passing game will be huge as Bennett had more receptions and yards than the next four leading receivers combined. Good luck Bobby Johnson.
WR – Malcolm Kelly, Jr. Oklahoma: Another wideout enters the draft and deepens the position group for teams to choose from. Hard to blame the guy, although he falls under the same category as the Clemson kids we wrote about yesterday. Kelly, if he had returned, had the chance to be apart of something truly special at Oklahoma, yeah, yeah, aside from another bowl loss. This team going into next season has a legit shot at winning the National Title. Bob Stoops would just have to convince the kids that its not really a bowl game. The loss of Kelly won’t devastate the Sooners as Bennett’s will to the Commodores, and Kelly should be a first round option for teams desperate for help on the outside (as many teams are, I’m talking to you Tennessee and Tampa Bay). Good move by Kelly and his family to take advantage of this opportunity.
CB – Joe Burnett, Jr. UCF: After edging dangerously close to the edge, Burnett jumped back and will remain at Central Florida for his senior season. He thought about joining teammate Kevin Smith but decided against it this afternoon. Burnett’s return will help the Golden Knights improve upon a shaky pass defense that saw them ranked 69th in the country with 233 yards allowed per game. With another year of experience, Burnett should be a huge factor in the secondary and set himself up nicely to be one of the top senior corners going into the 2008 season and the 2009 draft.
Keep it locked as there are sure to be more defections to the pro ranks over the next few days, including some expected names and some shockers to be sure.Labels: Earl Bennett, early entry, Joe Burnett, Malcolm Kelly |
