The college football season is coming to an end, which means we’ll start hearing the names of college players who have decided to forgo their final seasons and enter the 2011 NFL draft.
Up first is Ole Miss nose tackle Jerrell Powe, who told Bruce Feldman of ESPN that he’s ready to turn pro. Powe was a big-time recruit coming out of high school, but his college career was repeatedly delayed as he struggled to meet the NCAA’s academic requirements. Powe, who will turn 24 in March and would have had to get an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA to stay at Ole Miss, cited his age as a primary reason to turn pro.
“It’s time for me to go,” Powe said, adding that, “the NFL doesn’t draft 25-year-olds in the first round.”
The NFL doesn’t draft many 24-year-olds in the first round, either, but Powe will have close to five months to prove that he’s worthy.
