Stafford and Moreno to declare for NFL Draft

Furmanski · Jan 7, 2009

No real big surprise here, but I think that Stafford is making the wrong decision by not coming back.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft09/news/story?id=3815504

Sources: Stafford, Moreno to leave Georgia for draft

By Mark Schlabach
ESPN.com
(Archive)



   Updated: January 7, 2009, 9:11 AM ET

  Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno, who led the SEC in passing and rushing this season, respectively, are expected to announce Wednesday that they will enter April's NFL draft.
Multiple sources with knowledge of the players' decisions said Moreno was definitely leaning toward entering the NFL draft, but said Stafford had wrestled with his decision for several days.
Stafford, a junior from Highland Park, Texas, might be the first player selected in the draft, according to Todd McShay, director of college football scouting for Scouts Inc. who also does NFL draft analysis for ESPN.
The strong-armed passer set a Georgia single-season record with 25 touchdown passes this year. He threw for 3,459 yards this season, the second-best total in school history, and ranked 15th nationally in pass efficiency.
Moreno, a sophomore from Bedford, N.J., ran for 1,338 yards and 16 touchdowns before the Bulldogs' 24-12 win over Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl. He became the first Georgia player since 1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker to run for more than 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons.
Moreno was redshirted at Georgia in 2006, so he is eligible to enter the draft after playing only two seasons with the Bulldogs.
Moreno is expected to be one of the top two running backs selected in the NFL draft, along with Ohio State junior Chris "Beanie" Wells, should he decide to enter. Wells hasn't yet announced whether he'll return to school for his senior season.
Moreno leaves Georgia with 2,769 career yards rushing with 32 touchdowns (30 rushing, two receiving), not including the Capital One Bowl performance.

irishcapper · Jan 7, 2009

moreno should probably go in my opinion, running backs have a limited time in the league and he should go as soon as possible. stafford on the other hand.....should stay for sure. could use another year

Paddywack · Jan 7, 2009

I don't see any quotes from the players.

TheD.I.G. · Jan 7, 2009

Who's the backup QB. I know they have Caleb King at RB, he is supposed to be pretty good

HookEmHorns · Jan 7, 2009

..delete...wrong post

Gaz · Jan 7, 2009

Probably

He will probably go and then he will probably get picked by the Lions. Then he will bomb just like most Lion 1st round draft choices. Stafford isn't ready to go to the NFL but hey maybe the Lions can really make history by going 0-16 two seasons in a row.

Furmanski · Jan 7, 2009

The D.I.G. said:
Who's the backup QB. I know they have Caleb King at RB, he is supposed to be pretty good

Joe Cox was the backup and likely frontrunner for the starting job. He's going to be a senior next year. I expect true freshman Aaron Murray to challenge him for the job though.

Richard "I fumble every 3rd touch" Samuel and Caleb King will be the likely starter at RB, but a true freshman, Washaun Ealey, is supposed to be a stud coming in next year.

I am much more concerned with the QB position than the RB. UGA has recruited a ton of studs in the past 3 years at RB.

valdosta · Jan 7, 2009

.....

You can have 2 different lines of thought on Stafford. The first being he is going to be drafted damn high and make a forunte so he should go ASAP. The other is of course he could get a little better before going to the NFL if he played 1 more year. Sorry but if I am him, I am history as well.

Paddywack · Jan 7, 2009

Furmanski said:
I expect true freshman Aaron Murray to challenge him for the job though.

Richard "I fumble every 3rd touch" Samuel and Caleb King will be the likely starter at RB, but a true freshman, Washaun Ealey, is supposed to be a stud coming in next year.

I expect Logan Gray to be ahead of Murray. I also expect Carlton Thomas to make an impact at tailback, he reminds me of Darren Sproles.