2008 NFL Draft Bad Decision: Louisville WR Mario Urrutia Leaves Early

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

After a solid 2006, a nagging leg injury limited the production of Louisville wide receiver Mario Urrutia during the 2007 college season. According to Urrutia, that's what made him decide to declare for the NFL draft:

"Unfortunately, with missing time this season and playing injured I got to see football from a different perspective. You only have so much time to play this sport, and the 2008 draft is my opportunity."

I get Urrutia's logic, but I think he has it exactly backward. The fact that he's coming off an injury-plagued 2007 is all the more reason that he should return to school in 2008, prove to NFL scouts what kind of player he can be when healthy, and become a much higher pick in the 2009 NFL draft.

Urrutia has good speed and great size (he's listed at 6-foot-6, 220 pounds), but he hasn't yet shown that he's a complete wide receiver. With some work on route-running, I could see Urrutia being a first-round pick in 2009. As it is, I think he'll be a fourth-round pick in 2008. Unless Urrutia's financial situation is such that $500,000 in 2008 could help his family more than a few million in 2009, he would benefit from another year in college.

See the full list of 2008 NFL draft early entries.