Coach Woody resigns from Vandebilt
January 16, 2014NFL doesn’t need additional playoff teams
January 16, 2014
A Thibodaux High School graduate is taking his talents to the NFL.
Auburn redshirt sophomore offensive tackle Greg Robinson announced last Tuesday morning that he will forego his junior and senior seasons and will enter the 2014 NFL Draft.
The timing of Robinson’s decision comes just one day after the former Thibodaux standout anchored Auburn’s offensive line in the BCS National Championship Game against Florida State – a game the Tigers lost 34-31.
Robinson was the team’s starting left tackle in each of the past two seasons. A First-Team All-SEC selection, Robinson was one of the team’s main offensive cogs in Auburn’s turnaround from SEC cellar dweller to 2013 SEC Champion.
“This was a tough decision, but I have decided to declare for the NFL Draft,” Robinson announced on his official Twitter page.
“I want to thank my teammates and I love them all,” he continued in a later tweet. “Also thank you Auburn family – the best fans in college football.”
Robinson doesn’t figure to be on the board very long in May’s NFL Draft.
According to multiple analysts, the massive 6-foot, 5-inch, 320-pound offensive tackle will be selected in the early rounds of the draft – one of the top offensive linemen to be taken in the seven-round affair.
Scouts tout that Robinson is graded highly because of his combination of size and speed.
Those skills were on full display throughout each of the past two seasons at Auburn, where Robinson was routinely asked to both pancake defenders and also get on the edges and block down the field in the Tigers’ spread offense.
Immediately following Robinson’s social media announcement, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn gave props to Robinson, touting that he was a big factor in the team’s successes.
In Auburn’s huge win against Alabama, television analysts labeled Robinson as an “unsung MVP” of the Tigers because of his dominant blocking, which sprung a handful of running plays in the win.
“Greg played a big part in our success this season, and I appreciate everything he did as an Auburn Tiger during his career,” Malzahn said. “He has a bright future ahead of him at the next level and we wish him nothing but the best.”
When selected by an NFL team, Robinson will mark the first Thibodaux High School graduate to play NFL ball since the late Eric Andolsek in the early 1990s.
With Robinson gone from the program, Auburn will be down to just one Tri-parish native when it takes the field next fall.
The Tigers will still have Thibodaux graduate Trovon Reed on its roster in 2014 – his senior season.
As a junior, Reed caught nine passes for 98 yards for the Tigers. For his career, the 6-foot, 1-inch receiver has hauled in 39 passes for 384 yards with a touchdown. Reports out of Auburn state that Reed could move to defensive back next year.
LSU STANDOUTS TURN PRO
While Auburn tries to replace Robinson before the 2014 season, LSU is trying to find a few new defensive tackles and wide receivers.
Tigers’ standout defensive tackles Ego Ferguson and Anthony Johnson joined wide receivers Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry this week as LSU players to forego their remaining years of eligibility to test the NFL waters.
All four players were juniors in 2013 and will be giving up one season of competition at LSU.
In Ferguson and Johnson, the Tigers will be losing the meat of its defensive interior.
Fergon was arguably LSU’s best defensive player in 2013, powering his way through the middle of opponent’s offenses.
The junior recorded 58 tackles (fifth on the team) and three and a half stops for a loss. Ferguson also recorded three quarterback hurries, one sack and a blocked kick.
He missed the Tigers’ Outback Bowl win with Iowa because of an undisclosed illness – an ailment that is not expected to affect his draft positioning. Analysts project Ferguson as a second-to-third round pick – possibly higher depending on his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine.
One of the biggest reasons for Ferguson’s emergence was because of the attention paid to Johnson – one of the most esteemed interior linemen in the country.
Johnson had a down statistical season in 2013, drawing just 35 tackles. But a lot of those numbers were due to double teams levied onto the LSU played nicknamed “The Freak” because of his brute size and strength.
When Johnson did break out, he made his production count. The NFL-bound defensive tackle recorded nine tackles for a loss and three sacks in 2013.
Like Ferguson, Johnson is projected to be an early-to-mid round pick.
In Beckham and Landry, the Tigers will be losing their two biggest vertical threats from 2013’s explosive passing attack.
Beckham is opting out of his senior season after snagging 59 receptions for 1,152 yards and eight touchdowns.
The junior also was a force on special teams – the Tigers’ primary kickoff and punt returner.
Projections have Beckham as one of the Top 5 receivers in the draft. He is expected to be an early second-day pick.
While Beckham makes his name with versatility, Landry is a more purely polished receiver. The outgoing LSU junior caught 77 passes for 1,193 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2013.
Landry is projected to be a second or third round pick.
The news seemed to get better for LSU days after the first batch of announcements were made.
Early last week, a report out of Baton Rouge stated that sophomore tailback Jeremy Hill would put his NFL career on hold and return to the Tigers for his junior season.
Put that report was apparently premature, as Hill announced on Twitter Monday morning that he will forego his final two seasons and head to the NFL Draft.
“I am a Tiger for life. I will forever be grateful to my LSU fans, friends, coaches and family,” Hill tweeted. “This decision has been very difficult for me.
“With all of that said, I have decided to forego my junior season and enter the 2014 NFL Draft,” Hill said later in another tweet.
Hill’s departure will mark a big blow to the LSU offense.
The powerful, bruising halfback rushed the football 203 times for 1,401 yards with 16 touchdowns in 2013 – numbers that ranked among the best in the country.
But the good news is that LSU does have a crowded backfield that will be boosted by incoming prep standout Leonard Fournette – the No. 1 prep player in America.
Scouts believe Hill will be a high-round draft pick.
