As we head deeper into bowl season, Ross Blacklock of TCU is the latest to catch an early draft.
As all of the cool early entrants are doing, Blacklock announced on Twitter Friday that he will be a part of the 2020 NFL Draft pool. A redshirt junior, the defensive tackle is leaving a year of eligibility on the table.
“This decision has been weighing on me for some time now,” Blacklock wrote. “A wise man once told me, ‘follow your heart, and you’ll never go wrong.’
“Playing in the NFL has always been a dream of mine since I was 5 years old.”
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that the NFL’s Advisory Committee told Blacklock to put those dreams on hold for another season and return to the Horned Frogs in 2020. If Blacklock doesn’t sign with an agent, he could change his mind and come back to TCU.
Draft-eligible players have until Jan. 20 to officially file their paperwork with the league.
Love 🤝💜 #1k pic.twitter.com/XYwOnPpgJx
— Ross Blacklock (@1krozayy) December 27, 2019
Blacklock missed the entire 2018 season because of an Achilles injury. He returned this season to start a dozen games. Following the regular season, he was named first-team All-Big 12.
As a redshirt freshman in 2017, the 6-4, 305-pound Blacklock started all 14 games for the Horned Frogs. His 6.5 tackles for loss were good for fourth on the team.
Along with Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray, Blacklock was named co-Defensive Freshman of the Year at the end of the 2017 regular season.