McCants to Skip Senior Season, Enter NFL Draft

Keith McCants, Alabama’s All-America linebacker, said today that he will pass up his senior season to enter the NFL draft so he can provide financial security for himself and his family.

He is expected to be one of the top draft choices, possibly by the Atlanta Falcons, and he said he would be happy to play with them or any other NFL team.

McCants, Alabama’s leading tackler during its 10-2 season, said at a news conference: “I truly believe that it is now time for me to move on. With the chance to play in the NFL, I have the opportunity to provide financial security for myself and my family.”

He said the recent resignation of Bill Curry as the Alabama coach to take the job at Kentucky had no bearing on his decision.

“I’m doing what’s best for my family,” McCants said.

He said he began thinking seriously about the NFL after the Auburn game, Alabama’s last of the regular season. He said he has not hired an agent but has some in mind.

Asked if would mind playing for Atlanta, he commented: “I would be more than happy to play anywhere in the NFL. There are more than 600,000 college football players in the country, and I feel fortunate to have a chance to be one of the top draft choices.”

The NFL said today that it had received no request from McCants concerning the draft.

To be eligible for the draft, the NFL has required that players either have been in school five years, used up all their college eligibility through participation or have been graduated.

There has been speculation that Paul Tagliabue, the new commissioner, will move to make it easier for underclassmen to get into the draft pool.

“While the overall issue of NFL draft eligibility is being reviewed at this point, Commissioner Tagliabue is expected to present his new proposals to the NFL clubs at or before the league meetings in March,” Joe Browne, the NFL’s director of communications, said. “At this point I would be speculating on how these rules might change.”

The 6-foot-5, 255-pound McCants is expected to be among the top picks in the April draft, and it has been reported that he will be the first player chosen by the Falcons.

Today, he denied reports that he does not want to play in the South.

“I was born in the South, I love the South, I’ve lived here 21 years,” he said. “I’ve never been anywhere else, I think I can get along well anywhere I go.”

Scouts have touted McCants as the best defensive player to come out of college football in years because of his combination of size, strength, speed (4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash), and attitude.

“I described him as a St. Bernard puppy, the way he played with so much enthusiasm and great intensity,” said Curry. “Those were even finer assets than his physical ability, which is enormous.

“Keith’s looking at several million dollars, and it’s hard to pass that up. He’s got greatness written all over him.”

McCants, a native of Mobile, garnered the attention of pro scouts even though he played only two seasons at Alabama. He missed his freshman year when he failed to meet the academic standards of Proposition 48.

McCants said he plans to return to Alabama in the off-season to continue working toward a degree in criminal justice.