Florida linebacker Ronald Powell will forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft, the school announced Monday (via the Gainesville Sun’s Robbie Andreu).
Powell came to Florida rated as the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2010 by Rivals, though statistically he didn’t live up to the hype. He underwent two ACL surgeries after a promising sophomore season (six sacks, nine tackles for a loss) and returned this fall to collect four sacks and six tackles for a loss.
While he could’ve returned to Florida for a fifth year, it’s easy to understand why Powell would turn pro after an underwhelming career -- given those knee injuries, coming back to Gainesville would’ve been incredibly risky. He could’ve improved his draft stock, sure, but also could’ve risked another injury and never got a taste of an NFL paycheck.