NFL Draft news roundup: Aaron Lynch declares; Vic Beasley leaning toward pros

A pair of defensive ends headline the NFL Draft news today.

Dec 18, 2013, 4:02 PM UTC

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

South Florida defensive end Aaron Lynch has had an interesting last few years.

After a solid freshman season at Notre dame, he transferred to South Florida to be closer to home. He sat out the entire 2012 season and returned to the field this fall. The results weren’t as lucrative as some were expecting. Lync has 11.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. Those numbers weren’t terrible, but the bar was set high for a player who had 5.5 sacks as a freshman at Notre Dame.

Still, the 2013 season was enough for Lynch. He has signed with an agent and decided to enter the 2014 NFL Draft, forgoing his final season of eligibility, according to Neil Stratton. Tony Pauline of Draft Insider projects him as a fourth round pick. We'll see what the next few months hold for Lynch, who has the size and speed to turn heads at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Clemson defensive end leaning toward the NFL

Clemson defensive end Vic Beasley is still weighing his options when it comes to the NFL Draft, but according to the Greenville News, he is leaning toward entering the draft. Beasley had a monster season at Clemson, collecting 19 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. He has a good chance of landing in the first round if he declares for the draft. In our latest mock draft, the Broncos selected Beasley with pick No. 31 in the first round.

Colt Lyerla can't relocate for draft prep

Colt Lyerla requested to relocate to Las Vegas to prepare for the NFL Draft, but the court denied his request after his arrest for cocaine use earlier this fall, according to Andrew Greif of the Oregonian. Lyerla is an early entrant into the NFL Draft after legal trouble this fall. He seems like a long shot to get drafted at this point, though the talent is certainly there.

A.J. McCarron a second day pick

Senior Bowl Executive Director Phil Savage joined the CFB 24/7 podcast on NFL.com to discuss some of the seniors in the upcoming draft class. One player who came up was Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron. Savage said he believes most scouts have a second or third round grade on McCarron and that is like where he will come off the board. That mostly fits in with what we've been projecting this fall.