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USATSI

It seems like every time I open Twitter these days another college player is declaring early for the 2021 NFL Draft. And let me first say I never, ever begrudge a college player for declaring for the NFL Draft. Make that money. And, with uncertainty still lingering thanks to COVID-19, I especially won't blame anyone for bolting for the league now.

But, despite being a staunch supporter of players trying to make money on their ability to play football, sometimes wrong decisions are made from skill development and long-term stability in the NFL perspectives. Criticizing early declarations from those angles is completely different. 

And that's what I'll be doing here. While the vast majority of even quasi household names have declared for the draft already, we have gotten a smattering of players who decided to return to school -- and remember, the NCAA granted seniors another year of eligibility if they want it -- Miami quarterback D'Eriq King chief among them. The Houston transfer took a sizable step as a passer in his debut season with the Hurricanes while maintaining his electric scrambling prowess. 

Other notable returnees include Minnesota running back Mohamed Ibrahim, who registered his second 1,000-yard season in 2020, and Michigan edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, whose year ended prematurely due to injury. Which other prospects, yet to make a decision on their football-playing future, should return to school to sharpen their games or boost their physical profile? 

Tyler Linderbaum, OC, Iowa

Linderbaum has a compelling story -- former three-star defensive lineman flipped to the offensive side of the ball in 2019 and pieced together a quality year. This season, Linderbaum was as dynamic of a blocker as any in the entire country. The twitch he plays with at center is phenomenal, and because of that he's almost always playing with his feet firmly underneath him, Linderbaum is rarely caught off balance in the run game or in pass protection. 

Why should he return, then? Glad you asked. He's listed on Iowa's official website at 6-foot-3 and 289 pounds, and we all know those school sites aren't shy about exaggeration. Linderbaum looks thin for the center spot on film too. The last thing he needs to do is enter himself in the 2021 class and go by way of Garret Bradbury, who's had two brutal years at center for the Vikings, mostly due to his lack of power and weight, despite being one of the most athletically gifted centers in the NFL. 

Azeez Ojulari, EDGE, Georgia

Ojulari has been disruptive in his redshirt sophomore season with the Bulldogs, registering a quarterback pressure 20.5% of the time he's rushed the passer. That's a reasonably high rate. 

But he's not a diverse rusher yet, and there's not nearly enough strength to his game for him to win with any type of power move against NFL tackles. At times, Ojulari will deploy a counter, but most of his wins around the corner were strictly due to his acceleration off the snap. Given that he has the God-given ability to explode out of his stance, Ojulari is ahead of many collegiate pass rushers. He could really use one more season in the the Bulldogs weight room getting strong for his bull rush and on the field in the SEC where he'll have the opportunity to lean on more pass-rushing moves to beat blockers. 

Jackson Carman, OT, Clemson 

Carman was the No. 2 offensive tackle in the country in the recruiting class of 2018 per 247 Sports, and he's slowly but surely improved his play in each of his first three seasons with the Tigers. The mammoth individual -- listed at 6-5 and 335 pounds -- went from allowing a pressure on 3.6% of his pass-blocking snaps as a sophomore to 2.4% in 2020. 

He's also gotten slightly quicker off the ball and when gliding laterally against counter moves. Is the speed of his footwork where it needs to be for him to become a star left tackle in the NFL? Probably not. No, Carman won't ever be the most agile blocker in the league, and that's fine. He has long, chiseled arms and devastating power. But smaller, quicker edge rushers in the NFL who can threaten him with their outside speed rush would give him problems as a rookie in 2021. And those are the players who can get him off balance. Another year of working on his lateral movement at Clemson, and we'll be talking about Carman as a top 10 pick.

Brenton Cox, EDGE, Florida 

Cox reminds me a lot of Ojulari as a rusher on the outside. They're around the same size and project as that stand-up outside linebacker at the next level. Both posted impressive disruption figures this season, although Cox's pressure-creation rate was noticeably lower at 14.2%. 

But because Cox is clearly a springy athlete with some bend, he's getting draft hype for 2021. He's not ready. But that's OK. He's only a redshirt sophomore. Like Ojulari, Cox needs more effective pass-rushing moves, pop in his hands, and power in his lower half to drive offensive tackles backward into the quarterback. 

(all advanced stats courtesy of TruMedia unless otherwise noted)