On the surface, there is nothing linking the decisions of Oklahoma State's Will Blackmon, Oklahoma's Ryan Broyles and Texas A&M's Jeff Fuller to stay for their senior years. That is, except for how odd they all were.
↵From what I've seen most national draft analysts talk about, this is a weak class of senior wideouts. The best wideouts in the draft will be A.J. Green and Julio Jones, but there are questions about both guys. Blackmon and Broyles would have for sure jumped into the discussion for first wideout taken. Fuller, while not as highly regarded, is just as talented and could have snuck into the first round.
↵So, why did these guys leave money on the table to go back for a senior season?
↵I haven't read this from anyone, but it wouldn't surprise me if it had something to do with the current labor negotiations. Think about it from their perspective. Sure, you do get drafted and maybe the lockout ends by October or November. At that point, they'd be pushed into playing a shortened season, without proper time to get used to their new offense or the coaches to teach them what they're supposed to be doing. Now, a lockout is by no means guaranteed, and there is no reason to think it could go on that long. But, this isn't going to be an easy next six months for the NFL.
↵Maybe these three guys saw the writing on the wall and decided to go back to school, play for coaches they know and a schedule that is a little more defined that what could happen in the NFL next year. Like I said, that's just a wild guess as to one of their reasons. It scares me that it makes sense, though.
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