Evan Royster will return for senior season

This is a big one. Evan Royster had a pretty good shot at a mid-round selection in this year's NFL Draft. But after his junior campaign didn't produce the kind of smashing success many expected, No. 22 will return for his final season in the Blue and White. Well Evan, we're glad to have you.

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Navorro Bowman off to the NFL

ESPN's Joe Schad reported today that Navorro Bowman will enter the 2010 NFL Draft.

While I can't say I'm trilled to see such a great player leave Penn State, I wish him only the best of luck at the next level. Thank you No. 11, for keeping "Linebacker U" alive and well.

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Poll Results: Maybin and Evans should have stayed at PSU

In what has been a very heated topic over the last week, readers have spoken. According to two recent polls here at ZN, readers indicated that both Maurice Evans and Aaron Maybin should have stayed with Penn State for at least another season before entering the NFL draft. The results are very interesting, as 95 percent said that Evans made the bad move, while only 59 percent said Maybin should have stayed.

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Evans joins Maybin, turning pro

FOS has been a busy little thing, hasn't it? Now the site is reporting that Maurice Evans will forgo his senior season, and declare for the NFL draft. If you thought Aaron Maybin made a bad move, this easily trumps that. Evans season was marred from the start, and completely killed by the mary-jane incident. I'm not sure what the scouts told him, but he must like a few hundred-thousand dollars more than school. He'll probably go on the second day, especially with the "character" issues, but you know what, we can't get down with this. We can only hope he and Maybin represent Penn State well on the next level.

But I'm still really, really pissed off at this. Does this show something on the Larry Johnson, Sr. front that Penn State isn't telling us? When your two best ends take off like bats out of hell, it sends a message.

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Maybin going Pro

Admit it, there was a deep feeling inside Aaron Maybin was going to do this.

"Sources report to FightOnState.com that Penn State redshirt sophomore defensive end Aaron Maybin intends to make himself eligible for the 2009 NFL Draft... Maybin reportedly informed Penn State head coach Joe Paterno and defensive line coach Larry Johnson of his decision Thursday night... Friday morning, he was seen cleaning his personal items from his on-campus apartment."

But all the while, you were praying he wouldn't. Well, the best we can do is say "good luck" and hope he does well.

As someone with no real experience or authority on these kinds of things, I think this is a terrible move for Maybin. He's played only one really good season at the college level, and still has a lot of physical maturing to do. But we can't do anything about it now.

This also sucks, because I have to scrap the poll I just put up:

...and all three got it wrong. Go figure. But you can still vote in the new one!

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Poll Results: Mo Evans leaving early for NFL?

The rumor mill was hard at work this summer, indicating PSU All-American DE Maurice Evans might leave early for the NFL. I'm personally not so sure this will happen, but then again, PSU fans weren't sure if Justin King would stick around. By a very, very slight margin (51%-48%), ZN readers felt Evans will enter the NFL draft following this football season. We can only hope this won't happen.


*Editorial Note: This week's First Look: Michigan State Spartans will be posted tonight sometime. Sorry for the delay. And be sure to vote in this week's ZN reader poll: Leading PSU receiver in '08 will be... below.

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For disappointing draft class in Michigan Football history, the winner is…

2008.

I don’t know if things can get much worse for this bunch. Although Chad Henne hasn’t really done much to hurt his draft status, he still isn’t the killer prospect everyone thought he would be during his days as a Wolverine. That doesn’t help the matter. But what is really solidifying this class as one of the most underachieving ever is the lack of production from its supposed star players in this year’s draft.

“Mario Manningham, WR Michigan
Six receivers ran 4.4 or better and 11 ran under 4.5. Manningham wasn't one of them. Rail thin at just under six-feet and 181 pounds, his biggest strength was supposed to be his speed, and then he came up with a 4.59 and a 4.62. While fine at the ball drills, he wasn't as polished as many will probably make him out to be. However, he caught the ball well and still showed enough skill to be among the top five receivers taken. While he'll get another shot back on Michigan's campus to show what he can do, he all but blew any chance of being a first round pick. – CFN.com”

Everyone at Penn State knew that Manningham wasn’t that great, compared to the Michigan wide outs that have ripped us in the past. In fact, he’ll be remembered for only one play when it’s all over. “The Catch” against Penn State in 2005. Outside of that, has he ever showed up in the games that mattered? Ohio State? Bowl games? Of course, he’s coming out early, and if he’d stayed another season, things might have been different. But if you want to look at the icing on this draft class’ cake, look no further than Mr. Mike “Talks-To-Much” Hart.

“Mike Hart, RB Michigan
At 5-9 and 206 pounds, he lifted well with 23 reps, but overall appeared scrawnier than expected, especially in his legs. The big problem was his lack of speed and burst in the quickness drills. The 4.65 and 4.75 40s were disastrous, and he showed little overall athleticism compared to the other smallish backs like Ray Rice and Steve Slaton. His problem will be the workload. Not a third down back or a role player, he's a runner who needs 25 carries and can be a workhorse. Now, it's doubtful anyone will ever think of him as a No. 1 back. – CFN.com”

I don’t know what’s sweeter; that Manningham won’t go in the first round, or that Hart may not even go on the first day. After all the loud-mouthing and constant crap flying out of his mouth, he’s still going to be remembered as a great college back. He’s a back that could will his team to victory—against everyone but Ohio State and three of four bowl game opponents—and pound out drives single handedly behind some of the best offensive linemen in college. But what will that get him? As of right now, not much; maybe he’ll get a nice paycheck every year, but no first-round dough, no instant starting job, and no pro-bowls. I’m not going to say that that last one is a lock, as other backs have defied all and made it to the all-star teams. What I will say is that for the last three seasons, Michigan hasn’t produced knockout pro-prospects the way it did for 35 years. In all seriousness though, I hope Hart and Manningham get playing time, so that they can meet the likes of true first-rounder Dan Connor, and Buffalo Bills starter Paul Posluszny. Have fun guys.

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King going Pro

According to Rivals.com and Scout.com Justin King has decided to skip his final season of eligibility and turn to the NFL. What does this mean for Penn State?

Can Lydell Sargeant step up? He lost his job to AJ Wallace, after getting burned by Ohio State, among others. Now, with Wallace at one corner, will Sargeant get the nod? I don't see any glaring standouts on Penn State's depth chart to take over the empty slot. Knowledge Timmons has a great shot, if he can shmooze Joe Paterno enough. He has blazing speed, and has done well on special teams. Outside of Timmons, though, it's a toss up.

Will the coaching staff move Tony Davis back to corner? Davis was a solid cover man in 2006, and a better tackler than King. His move to safety in 2007 was a questionable call at best, and the jury is still out. His apendectomy clouded any view into his abilities at the position, but with guys like Nick Sukay and Chaz Powell in the lineup, why not put Davis back at his old corner spot?

What if King goes much later than projected? What will that say about Penn State, if King has a bad showing at the combine or on draft day? This program has a good reputation--Curtis Enis, Blair Thomas, Michael Haynes and others aside--for producing solid NFL contributors. But with the recent troubles in recruiting, it would not help to have someone like King become a draft day flop, regardless of what happens during his career.

King finished his Penn State career with 90 tackles, three interceptions, 23 pass breakups, 24 passes defended and a fumble recovery.

Those aren't first-round stats to me. But college quarterbacks stopped throwing his way in a hurry. In the pros, they won't care who he is, and that will be his chance to shine. Come up with a few picks in practice, and he could wind up seeing time early. That is, if he works hard enough.

But who can really blame King for his decision? Granted, I think he needs another season, but not to develop any further, or gain speed and bulk. He needs another season to quiet his critics. Had he come back for his senior season, he would have had the best defensive front since 2005 to work with. That would give him more of an opportunity to play his game. However, can he really develop any further, playing the soft zone on every down? In the NFL, man-coverage is the name of the game, and that's where King belongs. He has to be given the chance to use his speed. Penn State didn't do that.

Good for you, Justin King. Now make Penn State proud.

I'm no expert on how the NFL drafts its players--they don't exactly hit a homerun on every pick. So, here's what CFN had to say:

Justin King, CB Penn State
Projected: 2nd to 3rd round
Good or bad move? Having already graduated, he's ready. After coming to Penn State as a top receiver/defensive back prospect, he moved from offense to defense after his freshman season and became one of

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