The first of many juniors on the LSU football team made a decision on his future on Wednesday. Junior offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins announced he would forego his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft.
Hawkins started 37 games in his career and every game this season except LSU’s loss to Ole Miss. During his redshirt freshman and sophomore seasons, he played all 26 games at right tackle, but, this year, he was the Tigers’ left tackle.
The fourth-year player considered the move to the league last season, but ultimately decided to return for the 2015 campaign.
Hawkins made the following posted the following message from his Instagram account on Twitter early Wednesday evening.
The 6-foot-6, 303 pound offensive tackle is projected as the No. 8 offensive tackle in Walter Football’s 2016 draft rankings. CBSSports.com has Hawkins as the No. 11 offensive tackle in its 2017 rankings.