The Junkyard

Good list. I'd put UGA at #4. Losing the best OLB in college football and one of the top 3 ILB is a punch in the gut, along with your top returning NT in a 3-4.

We would have 2 top 10 NFL draft picks on our team had Jones and Ogletree returned to Georgia.

Short of maybe Kentucky basketball, I don't think I've ever seen a team hit as hard by this sort of thing as LSU was this year.

It's a "me" problem. But I don't count losing 4th year redshirts as losing to early exits.

Kwame and Jarvis gave college football 4 years. If they gave us anything else, it would be nothing but gravy.

Losing Alec is a huge loss. But that one player isn't enough in my opinion to merit us in the top 10.
As a matter of fact... I think Herrera did a very, very good job at the Moe spot early in the year. If we keep him there in 2013, I don't think we will miss a beat next season at the position.

My take... and I'm no where near the LSU program by the way.

But when you see a lot of kids leave their positions early, it usually tells me about the position coaches.
If a kid sees his future improving because of the coaching that he's receiving, then he is more likely to stay.

These kids aren't stupid. They know if their position coaches are teaching them proper techniques for the college level or the pro level. And if they feel like they'll get better coaching on a scout team in the NFL than in college, they will gladly go pro and spend all their time in an internship with the best facilities, best players, best strength programs, and best coaching.

I built this perspective watching all of the DBs at UGA who happened to leave the university early despite not being high draft picks. And the perspective that was shared with me... Willie Martinez wasn't using NFL techniques. Players were having to be trained again at the next level.