Junior cornerback Morris Claiborne and sophomore defensive tackle Michael Brockers will enter the NFL Draft, they announced Thursday during a joint press conference with LSU coach Les Miles.
Neither player said the loss in the BCS National Championship game affected their decision. Miles said he supports both players’ decisions and expects both have the potential to be selected in the first round of the draft.
“Both men have done everything that we’ve asked them do,” Miles said. “Both men have represented this program on and off the field. We’re going to miss them. They’re quality men. I have been fortunate to call a huddle with these guys in it. I can tell you their teammates will miss them as it.”
For the Shreveport native, the time was obviously now. Most early draft analyses have Claiborne in the top-10 range, and ESPN NFL draft analyst Todd McShay called Claiborne a top-10 prospect.
“It was just time,” Claiborne said. “I’ve done a lot here at LSU and LSU has done a lot for me to get me to the point where I’m at now. These things don’t come around every day, when you get these opportunities you’ve got to go for go.”
Brockers came to LSU as a 250-pound defensive end that was also recruited as a potential offensive lineman. He added weight and became a defensive tackle and said his versatility on the line could help his draft stock.
Brockers – who now measures 6-foot-6 and 306 pounds — was evaluated by the NFL as a late first-round pick or early second-round pick. The Houston native had 47 tackles in 2011, including two sacks and one interception.
“I heard my progression and my physical build would put me high in the draft,” Brockers said. “You only get this opportunity once, so I wanted to take advantage of decision.”
“I was focused on winning a national championship,” Brockers said. “After the game was over, we lost and it was a nasty taste in my mouth, but I can move on from that and focus on the future…It was a family decision. We came together and we thought about the pros and cons about every situation. We just thought about every detail and this is the conclusion we came up NFL.”
ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said before the national championship Brockers, and fellow defensive linemen Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo, would benefit from another year in college.
“I think they all can get bigger and stronger,” McShay said. “We’re talking about them as fringe first rounders if they come out. Next year they come in as possible [picks in the] top half of the first