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Update 1/6: P.J. Williams is headed the draft.
Florida State already lost six starters and a few key role players to graduation from its 2014 roster. But the fortunes of the 2015 team will likely be determined in the next 10 days, as January 15 is the deadline to declare for the NFL draft. Florida State has six players who could seriously consider leaving for the NFL draft, which could mean that FSU will have 10 or more players drafted, following the 18 the program sent to the league over the last two drafts.
The most obvious name is Jameis Winston, who, if he turns pro, could very likely be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. I covered all the reasons why Winston should turn pro this summer, and since then Winston has been under even more scrutiny. There's a line of thought that Winston should stay in Tallahassee an additional year to rehabilitate his image, but that seems faulty, given that an additional year of not shoplifting crab legs is unlikely to have a major impact on how teams view him. They'll review the evidence that has thrice failed to bring guilt upon him and make their own determination as to the veracity of the sexual assault allegation made against him. That's the real issue with his image to NFL teams, not the stupid college kid stuff. There's also an argument to be made that the fish is simply too big for the pond that is Tallahassee. But Winston has always done things differently, and he may want to stay.
Next on the list is defensive tackle Eddie Goldman. Different mock drafts have Eddie Goldman in rounds 1-3, and Goldman suffered two lower-leg injuries this year that put him on crutches. There was already a report that Goldman was likely to turn pro.
Defensive end Mario Edwards, Jr. is also a strong candidate to turn pro. Edwards, Jr. is very good against the run, and has never profiled as a high-end pass rusher, even back to his recruit days. Edwards, Jr. slimmed down a good bit before the title game, which could have been with an eye toward the combine.
Cornerbacks Ronald Darby and P.J. Williams are also candidates. Though neither, partially due to injury, had the caliber of year they likely wanted, both are considered strong draft candidates. Earlier, Yahoo! reported that Ronald Darby was considered a "lock" to enter the NFL draft.
The final candidate to turn pro is kicker Roberto Aguayo. Yes, a kicker. Roberto Aguayo has been the best kicker in college football over the last two seasons, and kickers don't get drafted highly anyway, so why not start the NFL career clock sooner? I'm not schooled in evaluating the finer points of kicker mechanics, and there are probably things he can improve, but the results have been great and Aguayo has previously mentioned trying to turn pro early.
