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A look at the 2007 junior class as players decide whether to enter the 2008 NFL draft.

The NFL has released its complete list of underclassmen who have declared for the 2008 draft, and one of the surprise names on the list is Purdue wide receiver Selwyn Lymon.

I don't think Lymon is going to get drafted, and I don't think he thinks he's going to get drafted. But for some of the players who declare right at the deadline (which was last night), they really have no other option.

Lymon is an undeniably talented player, listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds and with good athleticism. But he's simply unable to avoid trouble off the field, from getting benched for academic problems his freshman year to getting stabbed in the chest in March to getting suspended in September to getting kicked off the team for good in November.

When he's actually playing football, he can be quite good at it. His 238 receiving yards against Notre Dame in 2006 were the most any player has ever gained against the Irish. But one great game isn't nearly enough to offset all the problems he's caused, and not only will Lymon not be drafted, he'll be lucky if he can find a team that will invite him to training camp.

See the full list of 2008 NFL draft early entries.

A look at the 2007 junior class as players decide whether to enter the 2008 NFL draft.

Most people who know who Oklahoma State quarterback Bobby Reid is only know him for the infamous rant from Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy after a newspaper columnist ripped Reid.

But over the last week Reid has made news again. First he said he would declare for the 2008 NFL draft, and then he said he would instead stay in school, transferring to Texas Southern, where he will presumably be the starter in 2008 for a team that went 0-11 in 2007.

It's an interesting story from a college perspective, but as far as the NFL draft is concerned, this is an irrelevant move. Reid wasn't going to be drafted in 2008, and barring something unforeseen happening, he's not going to be drafted in 2009, either. For that reason, he made the right decision to stay in school. But it really has no impact on the draft.

See the full list of 2008 NFL draft early entries.

A look at the 2007 junior class as players decide whether to enter the 2008 NFL draft.

Clemson running back James Davis said early this week that he was leaving school to declare for the 2008 NFL draft. But after giving it some thought, Davis -- who hadn't hired an agent -- pulled out of the draft just before the final deadline.

I think that's the right move. Davis says he was projected as a third-round draft choice, but my bet is that he would have gone lower than that, since there's such a glut of junior running backs turning pro. Darren McFadden and Felix Jones of Arkansas, Jonathan Stewart of Oregon and Rashard Mendenhall of Illinois all definitely would have gone ahead of Davis, and Jamaal Charles of Texas, Ray Rice of Rutgers, Kevin Smith of Central Florida and Steve Slaton of West Virginia could have, too.

Instead, Davis will wait until the 2009 draft. Assuming Chris Wells of Ohio State turns pro, I think he'll be the top running back prospect 15 months from now. But Davis could be next in line. If he has a good senior season at Clemson, he'll make himself millions.

See the full list of 2008 NFL draft early entries.

A look at the 2007 junior class as players decide whether to enter the 2008 NFL draft.

Oregon safety Patrick Chung says he has filed paperwork to enter the 2008 NFL draft, although he hasn't hired an agent and might still change his mind and return to Oregon for his senior season.

Chung is an intriguing prospect for a few reasons. First and foremost, there's his age: He's only 20 years old (he turns 21 in August), but he's already spent four years at Oregon, including one redshirt season as a 17-year-old freshman. Chung, who was born in Jamaica, is a couple of months younger than Texans rookie Amobi Okoye and would be the youngest player in the NFL next year.

The other interesting question about Chung is how high a draft pick a team would spend on a guy who's a pure special teams player. Although Chung has started 38 games at safety in the last three years, and would presumably develop into a defensive starter, he would likely play mostly on special teams as a rookie. He has experience both in returning kicks and in covering kicks, and he would make an immediate impact there.

The bottom line, from this perspective, is that although Chung could probably move up a bit with a solid senior season, he's already most likely a first-day pick, and therefore he's making the right move by going pro.

UPDATE: So much for that. Chung has changed his mind and will return for his senior season.

See the full list of 2008 NFL draft early entries.

A look at the 2007 junior class as players decide whether to enter the 2008 NFL draft.

In an announcement surprising only for how long he took to make it, Cal wide receiver DeSean Jackson said today that he will skip his senior season and declare for the 2008 NFL draft.

Jackson instantly becomes the top wide receiver prospect in the 2008 draft, ahead of Limas Sweed of Texas, Early Doucett of LSU and Malcolm Kelly of Oklahoma. Jackson is a productive wide receiver and a phenomenal punt returner, and NFL scouts probably have him right about where they had Ted Ginn last year. Ginn ended up going ninth overall to the Dolphins.

If there are any doubts about Jackson, they're about his size. He's listed at 5-foot-11 and 172 pounds, and you don't see many NFL players tipping the scales shy of 175. He could definitely stand to be a little bit bigger, but other than that he's got everything NFL teams look for, and he's a definite first-round pick.

See the full list of 2008 NFL draft early entries.

A look at the 2007 junior class as players decide whether to enter the 2008 NFL draft.

LSU got some good news when three defensive starters, most notably defensive end Tyson Jackson, announced that they will return to school in 2008 rather than enter the NFL draft.

In Jackson's case, I think it's a mistake. As a 6-foot-5, 292-pounder who's capable of playing end in either a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense, he looks to me like a guy who would be a first-round pick. Although Jackson doesn't have the speed of a Julius Peppers or a Mario Williams, he's got a quick first step. He looks to me like the kind of player Bill Parcells loves, and therefore if he didn't go in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft, I think the Dolphins' second-round pick, 32nd overall, is about the lowest Jackson would go.

Jackson was actually better as a sophomore than he was as a junior, and he may want to prove himself with a solid senior season. But his senior season won't be as easy, in large part because the absence of Glenn Dorsey means he'll face more double teams. I think now is the time for Jackson to turn pro, and he won't improve his draft position in 2008.

See the full list of 2008 NFL draft early entries.

A look at the 2007 junior class as players decide whether to enter the 2008 NFL draft.

If you know who University of Mississippi left tackle Michael Oher is, you've probably read The Blind Side. If you don't know who he is, you should read The Blind Side. Or at the very least, watch this video:

Oher, a three-year starter, has decided to declare for the 2008 NFL draft, rather than return for his senior season. I think it's the right move. He was a raw talent when he first arrived at Ole Miss, but that talent has been developed to the point where he's ready to take his game to the next level.

Listed at 6-foot-6 and 322 pounds, Oher has had an NFL body since he was a teenager, and although I still think he needs to work on his technique in pass blocking, a good NFL offensive line coach can get him ready to start as a rookie. He's a rare athlete, and I think he'll be a first-round pick.

See the full list of 2008 NFL draft early entries.

A look at the 2007 junior class as players decide whether to enter the 2008 NFL draft.

Last week I noted that Virginia Tech cornerback Victor "Macho" Harris had decided to declare for the NFL draft, and I said I thought it was a mistake.

It turns out that Harris gave it some thought and decided he agrees with me. He told his position coach, Torrian Gray, that he changed his mind.

"I called him and was like, 'Really? Seriously?' " Gray said. Harris told him he had changed his mind, had spoken with head coach Frank Beamer and would enroll in this semester's classes, which began Monday. "He just felt like that, instead of trying to squeeze into whatever round it may be, it was in his best interest to come back. And I think he's right in that assessment."

I think he's right in that assessment, too. This year Harris would be a mid-round pick, and he'd struggle as a rookie in 2008. But if he has a good senior year, he could be one of the top cornerback prospects in 2009.

See the full list of 2008 NFL draft early entries.

A look at the 2007 junior class as players decide whether to enter the 2008 NFL draft.

Florida State quarterback Xavier Lee will leave school and enter the 2008 NFL draft, and it's an intriguing decision because no one is sure what position he'll play in the NFL.

He certainly doesn't have the accuracy of an NFL quarterback, although he does have a rocket for an arm. The Seminoles' coaches wanted him to play tight end if he played at Florida State at all in 2008, which made him decide that if he's going to learn a new position, he might as well try to do it while cashing a paycheck.

Lee is listed at 6-foot-4 and 234 pounds, so he'd need to bulk up a bit to be an NFL tight end. He'd also need to learn how to block, something he's never done at any level of football, since he's always played quarterback.

My best guess is that at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, NFL scouts will ask him to work out with the wide receivers. If he shows good hands and a feel for being on the other end of the passing game, he could be a mid-round pick. If he struggles in workouts for scouts, he could be an undrafted free agent just hoping to get a training camp invitation.

See the full list of 2008 NFL draft early entries.

A look at the 2007 junior class as players decide whether to enter the 2008 NFL draft.

Penn State junior cornerback Justin King has decided to enter the 2008 NFL draft, and that's a good decision. In fact, if the NFL would let sophomores enter the draft, it would have been an even better decision for King to have turned pro last year.

In the photo, King is leaping in front of Ted Ginn to intercept a Troy Smith pass in 2006. King had an outstanding game against Ginn, a game that would have a lot of observers thinking, "If Ginn is a top 10 pick, King must be, too."

It doesn't quite work that, way, though. A year ago King definitely would have been a first-round pick, but he struggled through a disappointing 2007 season, with a nagging shoulder injury always causing him trouble. King isn't likely to be a first-round pick in 2008.

But if he had returned to Penn State in 2008, he would have been running the risk of that shoulder getting worse, and of slipping even further down draft boards. King, who caught a lucky break when Ohio State's Malcolm Jenkins chose not to enter the draft, did the right thing by turning pro.

See the full list of 2008 NFL draft early entries.