Jarvis Landry among LSU juniors leaning toward declaring for NFL draft
A year after losing 10 underclassmen to the NFL, at least five LSU juniors – including wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham – are leaning toward entering the 2014 NFL draft, sources told Yahoo Sports.
Offensive tackle La'el Collins and defensive tackles Ego Ferguson and Anthony Johnson also are leaning toward leaving the team after playing Iowa in the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl, multiple sources told Yahoo Sports. Ferguson, Johnson, Landry, Beckham and Collins have all held meetings with potential representatives, sources said.
NFL draft experts and league sources project Landry and Beckham will likely be selected on the first day of the NFL draft if they do leave school.
Landry finished the season with 75 receptions, 1,172 yards and 10 touchdowns. Beckham finished with 57 receptions, 1,117 yards and eight touchdowns. The players finished third and fourth, respectively, in receiving yards in the Southeastern Conference.
The Tigers had a particularly potent passing game this season which saw senior quarterback Zach Mettenberger finish atop the SEC's passer efficiency ratings while completing 64.9 percent of his passes for 3,082 yards and 22 touchdowns. Landry's and Beckham's receptions accounted for more than two-thirds of Mettenberger's yardage and all but four of his TD passes.
Landry has begun putting together a plan to prepare himself for the NFL scouting combine in February that includes combine training, position-specific coaching, physical therapy, nutritional planning, interview preparation and media training, according to information obtained by Yahoo Sports. Landry has also expressed interest in creating a philanthropic foundation.
While one source close to Landry's situation said there is still an outside possibility the junior wide receiver returns to school, he wants to ensure he has all the information necessary to make a fully informed decision.
