When I look at the list of underclassmen, all 103 of them, who have given up a final year of college eligibility to chase the NFL dream, I think of Ragland, the Alabama linebacker.
He played it smart and got it right.
This time a year ago, Ragland received a projected second-round grade from the NFL Draft Advisory Board. That board now only gives three grades: first round, second round or neither. Conventional wisdom says don’t even think about leaving school if you’re not projected to be in the first or second round.
Ragland could have passed up his final season at Alabama and settled for being a second-round pick and getting second-round money.