Heisman Trophy Winner Robert Griffin III Will Turn Pro

Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Robert Griffin III will pass up his final year of college eligibility and make himself available for the 2012 NFL draft.  No surprise here; besides winning the Heisman,  he threw  37 touchdown passes and passed for nearly 4300 yards in 2011, while leading Baylor to a 10-3 record that included a victory in the Alamo Bowl.  He has probably accomplished as much as he can in college and is clearly ready for the next level of competition.

As far as his education goes, Griffin has already earned a bachelor’s degree, and will complete work on a master’s this year.  So he’s just about done there, too.  In light of all this, it would have been news if he decided to stay rather than go.

Going into the 2011 college football season, quarterback Andrew Luck of Stanford was projected to emerge as the number one pick in the 2012 draft.  That could still happen, but it will be interesting to see if Griffin is picked ahead of Luck in light of his great final season.  The Indianapolis Colts will have the first pick in the draft, which  will be held April 26-28.