Oklahoma officials confirmed Thursday junior wide receiver Malcolm Kelly has decided to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft.
Kelly, who had nine touchdown catches this past season, had been contemplating the decision for some time. He said prior to the Fiesta Bowl he would return unless he believed he would be a first-round pick.
Kelly made the decision Thursday after he and his family talked with OU coach Bob Stoops.
“I felt like the time was right to make this decision,” Kelly said in a statement. “My family and I have talked it over for the last few days and decided this was the way to go. I’ve talked to a lot of guys who I trust who are playing in the NFL and I value their input.
“OU and the coaches there gave me the best opportunity to reach the pro level. Going to OU was really the thing that put me in the position to be able to make this decision.”
A message left with Kelly’s cell phone wasn’t immediately returned.
The 6-foot-4, 217-pound receiver from Longview, Texas, will finish his Sooner career second all-time with 21 touchdown receptions and 2,285 receiving yards. He earned second team All-Big 12 honors and honorable mention All-American status by the Associated Press for his junior season.
Stoops offered support for the wide receiver’s decision.
“We’re excited for Malcolm and his family,” he said. “He was an outstanding player in our program and we appreciate all of his efforts. We look forward to watching him in the NFL. He is well-suited to professional football in many ways and we are sure that the attributes that made him such a success for us will serve him equally well on that level.”
Where Kelly will go in the draft is hardly certain.
After the regular season, Kelly and several other Sooner juniors filed paperwork with an NFL committee that evaluates where college underclassmen might be selected should they leave early for the draft.
Kelly received a grade of two. That meant the committee believed he would be a second-round pick if he came out, but the grade is far from an automatic indication of where Kelly could be selected.
Prior to the 2007 season, he was thought to be one of the best receivers in college football, coming off a sophomore campaign that included 62 catches for 992 yards and 10 touchdowns.
After a hot start to his junior season, Kelly cooled significantly. Only two of his nine touchdown catches came in Big 12 play. He only averaged 3.5 catches per game this past season.
Kelly only played a couple snaps in the Fiesta Bowl due to a deep thigh bruise. It was the second game this season in which he didn’t have a reception. Kelly didn’t have one against Colorado either.
There’s no indication whether Kelly will be the only Sooner to leave early. Linebacker Curtis Lofton, offensive linemen Duke Robinson and Phil Loadholt, defensive back Reggie Smith and Nic Harris also submitted paperwork to be evaluated for the NFL draft. None are believed to be first-round picks if they come out.
Draft eligible juniors have until Tuesday to make themselves eligible for the NFL draft. Provided they haven’t signed with an agent, they have a three-day window to change their minds and return to college.
OU Sports
Kelly going pro
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