Kansas football: Dorance Armstrong needs one more Big 12 season
By Stan Unruh
Kansas football standout Dorance Armstrong is heading to the NFL draft. Some are not sure skipping his senior season is the best plan.
David Beaty and the Kansas football team lost a very good football player Thursday. Just after noon, Dorance Armstrong confirmed on his twitter account he was ready to declare for the NFL draft. As a matter of fact, I’m happy for him. Armstrong has worked hard and dreamed of this opportunity for many years. On the other hand, I’m not convinced Armstrong is ready for the NFL. I thought he at least might wait until the mid-January deadline to announce. He’s in a hurry.
Don’t misunderstand me. Armstrong has what it takes to be successful in the NFL. I just think he needs another season of Big 12 play. Most of today’s student athletes are too impatient. They want that professional paycheck now. It’s not always the best plan.
Kansas football fans know all the preseason honors Armstrong earned. Among those, the Big 12 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. That is a nice honor but he didn’t come close to the expectation. The Houston, Texas native did get in on 32 solo tackles in 2017 including 9 tackles for loss. He had one solo quarterback sack, forced three fumbles and recovered one fumble. For that effort he earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors.
Armstrong needs to look at last year’s draft
By contrast, consider NFL rookie Jordan Willis. He is similar in size to Armstrong. Willis earned the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2016 playing for Bill Snyder. In addition, Willis earned All-American honors and picked up a Most Outstand Player award at the Senior Bowl. Despite all those honors, Willis had to wait until round three of the NFL draft. He’s had a good rookie year with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Incredibly proud of Dorance and how much he has grown as both a player and a man during his time with us. Excited to see what your future holds @Dorance_ALegend!! #RockChalk #AlwaysAJayhawk https://t.co/osYF7WsdXu
— David Beaty (@beaty_david) January 4, 2018
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After his 10 sack and 20 tackles for loss season in 2016, some draft experts indicated Armstrong was a potential first round pick. Those experts may have reconsidered after last season. I think Armstrong needs one more season in Crimson and Blue. I know all Jayhawks fans wish him the very best in the NFL.