With the declaration deadline rapidly approaching on Jan. 15, the 2014 NFL Draft currently has 20 underclassmen participants. The most recent entrants are Southern California safety Dion Bailey, California cornerback Kameron Jackson and Syracuse running back Jerome Smith.
NFL Draft news roundup: Underclassmen update
Three more enter next year’s draft, Michigan State’s captain is suspended and more news to know.
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Of those three, Bailey is the standout. He profiles as a better athlete than previous USC safeties like T.J. McDonald and Taylor Mays. While they were more straight-line players, Bailey looks comfortable changing direction and moving around in space. Converting from linebacker to safety this season, Bailey had 61 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, six pass breakups and five interceptions. Conquest Chronicles has a bit more on Bailey's decision here.
Miami tight end Clive Walford will decide his NFL decision after Saturday's Russell Athletic Bowl. He's an intriguing basketball player turned football player. He didn't play football until his senior season in high school. This season he has 30 receptions for 372 yards and two touchdowns.
Max Bullough suspended
Leading up to the Rose Bowl, Michigan State has suspended senior linebacker Max Bullough for a violation of team rules. There are currently no details about what led to Bullough’s suspension. While he was a captain and academic All-American at MSU, this may ding Bullough’s draft stock some because it’s not his first suspension.
Lewan denies allegations
While his team practices in Arizona leading up to the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl word came out that Michigan senior left tackle Taylor Lewan was questioned about a Nov. 30 assault. Lewan's accuser alleges that he and a friend were punched by the expected first-round pick. While Lewan wouldn't get into details about the incident, Lewan is denying hitting anyone. What does this mean for Lewan's draft status? Almost nothing.
3rd round grade for Sankey
Washington junior running back Bishop Sankey told the media that he received a third-round grade from the NFL Draft advisory board. Sankey said it's what he expected and that he'll speak with his family and coaches about it and decide after the Fight Hunger Bowl on Friday. Sankey will likely be weighing whether or not his grade would improve with another season in college. After rushing for 1,775 yards this season, that would be hard to see.
Composite big board
A Niners Nation reader is putting together a composite big board using five different top 200 rankings. The ranking for Johnny Manziel and Cameron Erving were slightly surprising to me.
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