Obviously we're still a couple of weeks away from the day underclassmen have to declare, but I'm curious which Big 12 standouts are likely leaving early for the NFL.
OSU has two that may declare.
RB Joseph Randle
CB/KR Justin Gilbert
I think Randle was leaning towards the draft a week ago, but it seems like things may have shifted since then. I'll call it 50-50 right now. He's obviously the big one for my Cowboys. If he goes then there are some questions about depth at RB for an OSU team that would otherwise be poised to contend for the conference title in 2013. Jeremy Smith may be just as good, or better, carrying the ball out of the backfield, but he's not a good receiver and no one picks up the blitz like Randle. He's also had some durability issues in his career. After that it's unclear if we have another Big 12 quality back. Desmond Roland looks the part, but he's mostly untested. Caleb Muncrief isn't ready for prime time yet, and he's not an every down back like Randle or Smith.
Gilbert's most likely gone. Last year he played like an All-American with 5 picks, at least a dozen pass breakups and 2 KR's for TD's (he has 5 in his career). This year he was arguably the worst player on the OSU defense. His inability to live up to the standards he set in 2011, when he intercepted RGIII, Ryan Tanehill and Andrew Luck, was a big reason we went from 12-1 to 8-5. He had no picks in 2012, and just a few pass breakups. Still, he's one of the fastest players in the Big 12, and he's likely to look like a monster at the combine. It'll be no surprise is he leaves early. He's talked about his eventual pay day all year on Twitter and played like a kid that didn't have his focus on the season most of the year. It'd be nice if he sticks around, but only if he finds his inner drive again. We'll be thin at CB either way, but we love our freshmen corners Kevin Peterson and Ashton Lampkin. Although he has been a dynamic return man for the Cowboys there are plenty of guys on this squad that could excel in that role.
OSU has two that may declare.
RB Joseph Randle
CB/KR Justin Gilbert
I think Randle was leaning towards the draft a week ago, but it seems like things may have shifted since then. I'll call it 50-50 right now. He's obviously the big one for my Cowboys. If he goes then there are some questions about depth at RB for an OSU team that would otherwise be poised to contend for the conference title in 2013. Jeremy Smith may be just as good, or better, carrying the ball out of the backfield, but he's not a good receiver and no one picks up the blitz like Randle. He's also had some durability issues in his career. After that it's unclear if we have another Big 12 quality back. Desmond Roland looks the part, but he's mostly untested. Caleb Muncrief isn't ready for prime time yet, and he's not an every down back like Randle or Smith.
Gilbert's most likely gone. Last year he played like an All-American with 5 picks, at least a dozen pass breakups and 2 KR's for TD's (he has 5 in his career). This year he was arguably the worst player on the OSU defense. His inability to live up to the standards he set in 2011, when he intercepted RGIII, Ryan Tanehill and Andrew Luck, was a big reason we went from 12-1 to 8-5. He had no picks in 2012, and just a few pass breakups. Still, he's one of the fastest players in the Big 12, and he's likely to look like a monster at the combine. It'll be no surprise is he leaves early. He's talked about his eventual pay day all year on Twitter and played like a kid that didn't have his focus on the season most of the year. It'd be nice if he sticks around, but only if he finds his inner drive again. We'll be thin at CB either way, but we love our freshmen corners Kevin Peterson and Ashton Lampkin. Although he has been a dynamic return man for the Cowboys there are plenty of guys on this squad that could excel in that role.
