LSU UNDERCLASSMEN DECLARE FOR NFL DRAFT

Photo By: Jonathan Mailhes

1/16/2020
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!

            With the Friday being the deadline for declaring for the NFL Draft, seven LSU underclassmen have made and announced their decision. Only two days after winning the national championship, Justin Jefferson, Grant Delpit, Patrick Queen, Jacob Phillips, Sadiq Charles, Lloyd Cushenbury, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire have decided to forgo their senior season at LSU.  The Tigers are also losing both offensive and defensive coordinators.  Joe Brady (Offensive passing game coordinator)  is leaving to become the offensive coordinator with the Carolina Panthers. Then reports have surfaced tonight that defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, who has been on the LSU staff for four years, will be accepting the head coach position at Baylor. 
      Junior wide receiver, Justin Jefferson is coming off of a tremendous season. He finished the year with 111 receptions (3rd most in SEC History) for 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns. He is expected to be selected in the first or second round.
      Grant Delpit, who is a two time all-american, and the winner of this season's Thorpe Award, wrote on Twitter, "We are champs. We hoisted the trophy for you and LSU fans everywhere. I've decided to move on to the NFL. I will carry the joy and excitement of this season forever with me." Delpit finished his LSU career with, 199 tackles, 17.5 TFL, seven sacks, eight interceptions, 32 passes defensed in 40 games. He is a projected first round pick.
      Patrick Queen finished his career with, 131 tackles, 17.5 TFL, four sacks, and an interception in 41 games. He has been projected to go somewhere between the second and third round.
      Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the teams leading rusher in 2019. He accounted for 1,414 rushing and 16 touchdowns. He was called by many, the heart and soul of the Tigers offense. Clyde was also valuable in the passing game, as he had 55 receptions for 453 yards and a score. 
      Lloyd Cushenbury, has started at center for 27 straight games. The junior anchored an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award (given to the nation's best offensive line). Cushenbury's departure will leave a huge hole to fill. He was voted a team captain at the beginning of the season, and was chosen by Coach O as one of the two players to wear the prestigious #18. Lloyd would wear a #18 patch on his jersey throughout the year. He is expected to be a first or second round pick.
      Saahdiq Charles has been a key member of the LSU offensive line, though he did miss a few games this season due to coach's decision.  He thanked his teammates for challenging him to compete every day to be the best player he could be on and off the field. He did his best against some of the best teams on the schedule.  His announcement to go pro was sort of a surprise, as most expected him to return for his senior season. 
      Jacob Phillips had a standout season for the Tigers. He finished 2019 as the team's leading tackler with 113 tackles, 7.5 TFL, He is also projected to go early in the NFL Draft. 
"The past three years at LSU have been a dream come true," Phillips said in a post on social media. "I am and will forever be a champion. With that being said, I will be forgoing my senior year and declaring for the 2020 NFL draft." 
      LSU could lose more players before the January 20th deadline.  
“We just had a perfect year,” Justin Jefferson said after winning Monday's title game. “We won the national championship and set records. We had a lot of awards and did it with our team."




1-16-20
By: Terrill J. Weil
Da Boot Sports!