The names keep pouring in, but it seems to biggest losers to players leaving before completing four years of College Football are the Texas A&M Aggies and the LSU Tigers, losing a combined 14 players who leave early to try their luck in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Texas A&M – The Aggies lose two big talents on the offensive and defensive lines, who might be both top 10 picks in the 2013 NFL Draft: Damontre Moore, one of the best defensive ends in the country, especially efficient with his pass-rushing skills, and Luke Joekel, a Junior tackle that was a big reason in Johnny Manziel’s exceptional season.
Georgia – The Bulldogs are going to have a hard time replacing their linebackers. Jarvis Jones, maybe the best in the nation at outside linebacker will probably the first one taken off the board for his leadership skills and his ability to stop players on third down. A bit lower down the charts is Alec Ogletree, an inside linebacker who is 6’3 but still one of the fastest guys at this position.
LSU – The Tigers have 11 players declaring early for the 2013 NFL draft, although not all of them are that big of a loss. Those that are going to be hard to replace are defensive end Barkevious Mingo, one of the top two defensive ends in this draft; Sam Montgomery, another defensive end; Kevin Minter at inside linebacker, Eric Reid at safety and Bennie Logan at defensive tackle mean that LSU will need to do some real hard work in replacing their defense.
Florida State – Losing only two underclassmen to this draft, but one of them might be their best defensive player from the previous season: Bjoern Werner, the guy with the never ending motor, who had enough after three years and winning the Orange Bowl last season.
Alabama – Unlike LSU, the Tide are keeping most of their young talent, which means they should be the favorites to win the national championship once again next season. Cornerback Dee Milliner is the top CB heading into the draft, with a lot of people seeing him as an immediate number one corner type. Offensive lineman D.J. Fluker is also a loss for the Tide.
Tennessee – The Vols haven’t been enjoying life in the SEC over the last few years, but they have still produce some good talent. Two wide receivers likely to be picked in the first two rounds are Justin Hunter and Cordarrelle Patterson. More interesting is the fact that their quarterback, Tyler Bray, is also headed to the NFL.