NFL Draft Early-Entry Deadline: College Winners And Losers, According To ESPN

by Staff Reporter

January 15, 20192 Comments

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

LSU underclassmen leaving early for the NFL Draft is something that fans have become accustomed to over the years but this offseason was a little different in Baton Rouge.

While it was obvious that projected first rounders Devin White and Greedy Williams would head to the NFL, LSU did pretty well this offseason by bringing a veteran group back in 2019. Besides White and Williams, the only other underclassmen to declare for the draft was defensive lineman Ed Alexander.

Coming back in 2019 for their senior seasons are defensive linemen Breiden Fehoko and Rashard Lawrence, linebacker Michael Divinity Jr., cornerback Kristian Fulton, and offensive guard Damien Lewis.

Overall it was a successful offseason recruiting underclassmen to stay at LSU, and ESPN College Football Adam Rittenberg agrees as he listed the Tigers in the "Winner" category of his latest NFL Draft Early-Entry article:

quote:
LSU: Typically, the Tigers are among the national leaders in underclassmen declaring for the NFL draft. Six LSU players declared last year, and the program had a two-year stretch when 17 players declared (after the 2012 and 2013 seasons). While Ed Orgeron's defense loses Butkus Award winner Devin White, standout cornerback Greedy Williams and defensive tackle Ed Alexander, several others are coming back. Defensive lineman Rashard Lawrence, who had 10.5 tackles for loss this season and was defensive MVP in LSU's Fiesta Bowl win, opted to return. So did cornerback Kristian Fulton, linebacker Michael Divinity and defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko. Kiper projects both White and Williams as top-five picks, so you can't penalize LSU for their departures.