After a handful of what turned out to be erroneous reports, Lamar Jackson is doing the expected.
The Louisville quarterback took to Twitter Friday to announce that he has “made the decision to take the next step in my career and enter the 2018 NFL draft.”
“I have had the pleasure of being in the presence of some of the best professors, coaches, advisers, training staff, athletes and fans, in the nation,” Jackson wrote. “With their help I have been able to grow not only as a Quarterback, but as a teammate, student, and most of all, as a man.”
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) January 5, 2018
Jackson won the 2016 Heisman Trophy after passing for 3,543 yards, running for another 1,571 and accounting for 51 touchdowns (30 passing, 21 rushing). His followup was nearly as productive as he actually outperformed his 2016 season yardage-wise (3,660 passing, 1,601 rushing) while totaling 45 touchdowns after throwing for 27 and accounting for 18 on the ground. He was a finalist for the 2017 Heisman won by Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield.
He ends his career as one of just three FBS quarterbacks who have run for at least 50 touchdowns and thrown for at least 50, joining Tim Tebow and Colin Kaepernick.
Jackson is projected to be one of the first four or five quarterbacks taken in the upcoming draft, and is viewed as a likely first-round selection. He’s also expected to be one of the most polarizing players in the draft.