Michigan State's McDowell declares for NFL draft
Michigan State defensive tackle Malik McDowell will forgo his senior season and throw his name into the 2017 NFL Draft, he announced Tuesday.
McDowell leaves the Spartans after completing a junior campaign that saw him rack up 34 tackles and 1.5 sacks in nine games. Though his numbers weren't quite up to the bar he set in 2015, the 6-foot-6, 276-pounder is still widely expected to be a top-20 pick come the draft.
McDowell's decision to go pro isn't all that surprising, though it does go against what he said before the season.
"I ain't leaving if I'm (only) top 10," he told Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press in August. "If I'm not top three, I don't leave. Really. I'm just trying to live day by day. It's one through three, that's the only way I'm going. I'm happy, I like it here, I ain't really in a rush to leave."
McDowell noted in his announcement that, to fulfill a promise to his parents, he will complete his degree at some point.