Raekwon McMillan turned in one of the finest performances of his career against Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl. To no surprise, he's using that as a springboard to an NFL career.
The junior and two-year stalwart at middle linebacker for Ohio State's defense will forgo his final year of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2017 NFL Draft. He made the announcement on his Twitter account Wednesday, four days after recording 15 tackles and a sack of Deshaun Watson in Ohio State's 31-0 loss to the Tigers.
The full statement McMillan posted to his Twitter account:
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McMillan is the third Ohio State defender to declare for the NFL Draft in as many days. Safety Malik Hooker announced his intentions on Monday while corner Gareon Conley joined him Tuesday.
A unanimous first-team All-Big Ten performer the last two seasons, McMillan led the Buckeyes in tackles first with 119 in 2015 and 102 this year. A team captain in 2016, McMillan was also a finalist for the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker as a sophomore.
McMillan finishes his college career with 275 total tackles, recording double-digit totals in six games. He also tallied 6.0 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss in 39 games.
McMillan is a projected early round pick in this year's draft. If selected, he will be the 13th linebacker coached by Luke Fickell to be drafted by an NFL team. Four of those players have gone in the first round. McMillan could become the fifth.
The 2017 NFL Draft opens on April 27 in Philadelphia.
