Three Utes ask for NFL evaluations
Should they stay or should they go?
That will be a question three of Utah's talented football players will have to ask themselves in the coming weeks.
Sophomore defensive end Paul Kruger, junior corner Sean Smith and junior offensive lineman Zane Beadles all sent in paperwork to the College Advisory Committee to be evaluated for the 2009 draft.
The deadline for declaring for the April 25, 2009 draft is Jan. 15. Players can retain their eligibility as long as they declare their intention within 72 hours following the deadline.
Kruger said his mindset now was "100 percent" to return to Utah next season and that his evaluation would have to come back with him slated to be a "pretty significant" pick for him to consider declaring for the 2009 draft.
"Right now I'm all about beating Alabama and getting to that Sugar Bowl, but there has been thought about it so I've been real open and honest with coach Whitt about it and we've had some good conversations about it," Kruger said.
Kruger said his teammates had a similar mindset and wanted the evaluations with an eye toward improving themselves.
"Regardless of whether you want to come out this year, next year or my senior year, it's all about getting better and seeing where you stand and knowing the kind of things you need to improve on," Kruger said.
Whittingham said having players who were considering leaving for the draft was a "good situation," and not a problem.
"Our underclassmen are so talented, we expect this to be a yearly event," he said.
Whittingham said earlier he thought Kruger would benefit from staying, by improving on the field and finishing his schoolwork.
"Getting that degree is a big, big part of the equation," he said. "All three will make good decisions, educated decisions. Of course we'd like to have all three back on our football team and we have to weigh all the factors and make the best decisions for each individual player."
That will be a question three of Utah's talented football players will have to ask themselves in the coming weeks.
Sophomore defensive end Paul Kruger, junior corner Sean Smith and junior offensive lineman Zane Beadles all sent in paperwork to the College Advisory Committee to be evaluated for the 2009 draft.
The deadline for declaring for the April 25, 2009 draft is Jan. 15. Players can retain their eligibility as long as they declare their intention within 72 hours following the deadline.
Kruger said his mindset now was "100 percent" to return to Utah next season and that his evaluation would have to come back with him slated to be a "pretty significant" pick for him to consider declaring for the 2009 draft.
"Right now I'm all about beating Alabama and getting to that Sugar Bowl, but there has been thought about it so I've been real open and honest with coach Whitt about it and we've had some good conversations about it," Kruger said.
Kruger said his teammates had a similar mindset and wanted the evaluations with an eye toward improving themselves.
"Regardless of whether you want to come out this year, next year or my senior year, it's all about getting better and seeing where you stand and knowing the kind of things you need to improve on," Kruger said.
Whittingham said having players who were considering leaving for the draft was a "good situation," and not a problem.
"Our underclassmen are so talented, we expect this to be a yearly event," he said.
Whittingham said earlier he thought Kruger would benefit from staying, by improving on the field and finishing his schoolwork.
"Getting that degree is a big, big part of the equation," he said. "All three will make good decisions, educated decisions. Of course we'd like to have all three back on our football team and we have to weigh all the factors and make the best decisions for each individual player."
11:16 AM
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