It is time for underclassmen who have been playing college football and living life as students (some, on occasion) to start gearing up for the National Football League draft. Some are ready to take the next step, some are not. Players have been told for years that they are special and are now listening to agents or family members who are looking to ride his coattails to NFL riches.
It is no longer about getting tuition, books and a college education. It’s about going to work. Maybe it is not the same as most people who go to work carrying a lunch pail but make no mistake about it — it’s about going to work.
The SEC had its share of players who jumped to the NFL, but it will also have its share of players who believe they are ready but will come face-to-face with the harsh reality that they are not. Whether a player is ready for the NFL or not doesn’t matter to the coach who is left to pick up the pieces.
Some of those coaches who are being left with holes to fill from early defectors are Les Miles at LSU, Nick Saban at Alabama and Kevin Sumlin at Texas A&M. But don’t feel too bad for them, they go down this road just about every year. That’s what happens when you recruit top players, you can’t assume you will have them for four years. The NFL and its riches come calling for the better players sooner than later.
Last year Miles and LSU lost 11 players to the NFL draft. The Tigers rebounded because Miles has stockpiled talent in Baton Rouge. This year it is going to happen again. The Tigers are going to lose their leading rusher in Jeremy Hill, two leading receivers in Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry and two top defensive tackles Ego Ferguson and Anthony Johnson.
LSU can look forward to seeing tailback Leonard Fournette, one of the nation’s top recruits, on campus this fall. That should ease the pain a little. But Miles can take the biggest comfort in the fact that six juniors who considered jumping early decided to return for their senior seasons—offensive tackle La’el Collins, center Elliott Porter, running backs Kenny Hilliard and Terrence Magee and defensive ends Jermauria Rasandco and Jordan Allen will all return — and that has to make Miles happy.
Alabama took a hit from the early defectors to the draft. Defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan, linebacker Adrian Hubbard and safeties Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Vinnie Sunseri are leaving early, cutting a huge chunk out of the vaunted Crimson Tide defense. But they are not the only Crimson Tide players who believe they are ready for the NFL.
Offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio also decided he was ready to make that jump despite the fact that he was routinely beaten badly in the Sugar Bowl.
Texas A&M took a hit by losing one of the deadliest passing combos in college football in quarterback Johnny Manziel and receiver Mike Evans. The pair combined for 1,394 passing yards and 12 touchdowns last season.
Said Manziel after he announced he was going pro: “My experiences here and the support of this school, Coach Sumlin, Chancellor (John) Sharp, my teammates, my classmates and Aggie football fans everywhere will be something that I carry with me for the rest of my life. I’ll always be an Aggie.”
“In all of my years of coaching, Johnny Manziel is the most exciting football player I have ever seen,” Sumlin said. “We appreciate everything he has done for Texas A&M and Aggie football and wish him nothing but the best.”
Another SEC player who entered the draft is a special one — Auburn’s Tre Mason. He’s not exactly leaving Auburn’s stable of running backs empty however with Cameron Artis-Payne and Corey Grant and redshirt freshman Peyton Barber returning. Mason leaves Auburn after rushing for 1,816 in yards this past season. Mason’s single-season rushing total surpassed the great Bo Jackson’s record of 1,786 yards set in 1983.
Auburn offensive lineman Greg Robinson also entered the draft. Robinson is expected to be among the top 10 picks taken after a dominating season as the Tigers left tackle.
Four teams, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi State did not lose anyone to the draft.
Here is a complete list of the players who left eligibility on the table in search of potential NFL riches. The Houston Texans have the top pick in this year’s draft, and one of the players listed below could be the guy they take.
ALABAMA — OT Cyrus Kouandjio, S HaHa Clinton-Dix, CB Vinnie Sunseri, LB Adrian Hubbard, DE Jeoffrey Pagan
AUBURN — TB Tre Mason, OT Greg Robinson
FLORIDA — CB Loucheiz Purifoy, CB Marcus Roberson, LB Ronald Powell
LSU — TB Jeremy Hill, TB Alfred Blue, WR Odell Beckham, WR Jarvis Landry, OG Trai Turner, DT Ego Ferguson, DT Anthony Johnson
OLE MISS — WR Donte Moncrief
MISSOURI — TB Henry Josey, DE Kony Ealy
SOUTH CAROLINA — DE Jadeveon Clowney, DT Kelcy Quarles, WR Bruce Ellington, CB Victor Hampton
TENNESSEE — OT Antonio Richardson
TEXAS A&M — QB Johnny Manziel, WR Mike Evans
VANDERBILT — WR Chris Boyd, who was dismissed from the squad in September