Three College Football Stars to Enter 2014 NFL Draft

Sunday afternoon three big time stars in the college football world made their intentions known that they were going to enter the 2014 NFL Draft. Clemson Tigers’ junior wide receiver Sammy Watkins was the biggest name of the three to announce his decision to forgo his senior season to go pro. He was joined by Oregon Ducks’ speedster De’Anthony Thomas and Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles. All three, Watkins, Thomas and Bortles, were juniors in 2013 about to enter their senior year in 2014.

Watkins is coming off a historical Orange Bowl in a Clemson win over Ohio State. Watkins was the Orange Bowl MVP accounting for the most yards receiving in Orange Bowl history. He will be going to the NFL along with his teammate Tajh Boyd, which was a senior for Clemson. Watkins will bring an explosive style of play with him to the next level that should translate with great success.

Thomas was a versatile player at Oregon for the Ducks. He played running back, receiver and even returned punts and kickoffs at times. His speed was game breaking and was utilized extremely well in the spread attack at Oregon. He earned the nick name “Black Mamba” in high school by rapper Snoop Dog and it has stayed with him to this day. Thomas will be in the mold of a Darren Sproles for the New Orleans Saints, in that he will get chances in the kicking game, at running back and time as a receiver.

The final junior that made the decision to forgo their senior season on Sunday to enter the NFL Draft was Central Florida quarterback Bortles. His stock is about as high as it can get coming off a huge upset win over the Big 12 champion Baylor Bears in this year’s Fiesta Bowl. Bortles showed his leadership in leading the heavy underdog Knights to a win over the Bears and also showed he has some game as well. Bortles has been compared to Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger because of his arm strength and sneaky play making ability by extending plays on the ground.

Bortles could be a last first round to early second round pick in my mind because of the need of quality quarterbacks for so many teams in the NFL today. He would make a nice backup for a contender or even a guy competing for a starting job on a team that didn’t qualify for the 2013 NFL playoffs. Bortles is likely to be in the league for many years to come because of his arm strength, accuracy and football intelligence. He made the right decision leaving early for the NFL because of the win over Baylor. He will represent Central Florida very well and be a quarterback to look out for in the near future.

All three of these college stars have the potential to be outstanding NFL players if they are drafted into the right situation. In the NFL, one of the most overlooked things is what team a player is drafted to in terms of whether it is a good fit or not. There have been a number of cases where a player is very talented, but is drafted into a bad situation or team that just doesn’t fit his skill set. This is always a fear for every player and team when it comes draft day, but if these three find the right NFL home it could be a bright future for all of them.

The college game will certainly miss the great moments that Thomas, Watkins and Bortles brought to the game of college football and fans. The NFL will be receiving three great guys that are extremely productive and exciting to watch. With the right mindset and determination going into the NFL, we certainly will hear more from these guys in the very near future.