Vanderbilt's Haye Entering NFL Draft

The Nashville City Paper confirmed Friday that Vanderbilt junior defensive end Jovan Haye will forego his final year of college eligibility and will enter the 2005 NFL Draft. It has been suspected for some time that Haye was leaning toward the pros, but his presence is still a bit of a surprise because he didn't really put up the eye-popping numbers that would normally result in an early-round selection for a player out of Vanderbilt.

After a successful sophomore campaign in which Haye tied for the SEC lead with 8.5 sacks, he put together a less-than-awe-inspiring junior season in which he recorded just one sack. His drop in production can be blamed largely on the increased number of double-teams he faced this year, and that will be a concern for teams looking for a guy who can consistently cause breakdowns in pass protection, even when he is doubled. The fourth-year junior probably would have been better off sticking around for his senior season.

Haye becomes the second Vanderbilt underclassmen this week to announce his intentions to turn pro. On Monday, fullback Matthew Tant also informed the staff he was passing on his final year of eligibility. Fourth-year junior quarterback Jay Cutler is still reportedly on the fence and has not indicated which way he will go.