Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Darrington Sentimore will forego his senior season to enter the 2013 NFL Draft, according to ESPN's Joe Schad. Sentimore played in all 12 games for the Vols last season and started nine. He had 18 total tackles, 5.0 for loss, 4.0 sacks, six quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery in his final season, per Tennessee's own stat keeping.
NFL Draft 2013: Tennessee DL Darrington Sentimore will forgo senior season
Tennessee defensive lineman Darrington Sentimore has declared for the 2013 NFL Draft, according to reports. The 6’2, 288-pound junior had five tackles for loss, four of them sacks, in nine starts last season.
Kevin C. Cox
While Sentimore was an effective space eater in the Volunteers’ base 3-4 defense, it is somewhat surprising that he will be skipping an extra year of development. You won’t find Sentimore on Dan Kader’s most recent list of the top defensive tackles in this year’s draft, nor as even an honorable mention on the 2012 AP All-SEC team.
No doubt, Tennessee’s coaching transition from Derek Dooley to Butch Jones may have played a part in Sentimore’s decision. The defensive tackle may have felt that his draft stock is as high as it is going to be. In that case, Sentimore is hopefully prepared for a potential late round selection, assuming he is drafted at all.
Sentimore will also have to answer some character concerns before NFL franchises commit to him. He originally committed to Alabama out of high school in 2009, but was suspended indefinitely before the 2011 season due to off-the-field issues. After a year in junior college, he transferred to Tennessee for the 2012 season.
Sentimore's experience in the 3-4 may help his cause. Teams like the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets all run the 3-4 as their base scheme.
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