NFL
   LSU’s Southeastern Conference Championship and Sugar Bowl success not only aided the University in its pocketbooks, but the possibility of future financial prosperity for some members of the 2001 football squad could be eminent within the upcoming months.
Four former Tigers will receive a hefty increase in their account balances when the NFL Draft rolls around April 20 21.
Draft experts across the country expect former LSU stars Josh Reed and Trev Faulk along with Rohan Davey and Robert Royal to be selected by NFL franchises.
Reed enters the draft pool bypassing his senior season after one of the most prolific receiving seasons in SEC history.
The junior receiver broke many LSU and SEC single season records with 94 receptions for 1,740 yards and seven touchdowns.
Reed showed flashes of brilliance on the national front by winning the Biletnikoff Award given to the nation’s best receiver along with a 14-catch, 239-yard performance and two touchdowns in the Nokia Sugar Bowl.
“The four years I’ve spent at LSU have been the best of my life,” Reed said. “Being a part of an SEC Championship team and winning the Sugar Bowl are two of my proudest accomplishments. To be part of a program with a coaching staff and teammates that are so driven to succeed is something I’m quite proud of. But at the same time, I’ve been in a unique position and been fortunate enough to examine my future athletic career.”
Faulk, a first team All-SEC and second team All American, also will exit the Tiger football program, leaving behind one year of eligibility.
With a weak linebacking corps entering the draft, Faulk decided to leave LSU, but not without reservations.
The junior inside linebacker rates among the top 10 tacklers entering the draft according to draft experts, but pro teams are wary of his lack of size.
“I sat down with my mom and my family, and we made the decision that we felt was best for us,” Faulk said. “My projections aren’t as high as I’d hope for them to be, but that doesn’t deter me. I feel like now is the best time for me as I try to pursue my goals at the next level.”
Faulk led the Tigers in tackles for the second consecutive year, tallying 119 tackles and two sacks.
After struggling through injuries and quarterback races during his entire LSU career, Davey leaves LSU after rewriting the Tigers passing record books during his senior season.
The Miami native finished his career winning the Most Outstanding Player award in the Sugar Bowl, showing up Illinois’ signal caller Kurt Kittner, another top quarterback prospect.
“I really did not want it to come to an end [my career], but if I could pick another way to go out, this would definitely would be it,” Davey said following the Sugar Bowl. “Going out and playing well in my final game, probably not in Louisiana, but my final game as an LSU Tiger, I could not have picked a better way to go.”
Royal exits LSU rated by many gurus as one of the top tight ends entering this year’s draft.
His career ended on a much brighter note than it started for the senior captain as he went from the troubled DiNardo era to SEC and Sugar Bowl titles.
The New Orleans native ended his senior season with 18 catches for 224 yards and a touchdown.