After Minnesota wide receiver and future first round pick Rashod Bateman opted out of the 2020 football season earlier this week, two more of the conference’s top players joined him in deciding to sit out the season and prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft.
Those players are Penn State linebacker and future top-10 pick Micah Parsons and Purdue wide receiver and future first-rounder Rondale Moore.
Sources tell me that Penn State LB Micah Parsons is expected to opt out of the 2020 college season and enter the 2021 NFL draft
Should be made official later tonight or early tomorrow.https://t.co/1rBqoccKN3
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) August 5, 2020
Farewell đź–¤ pic.twitter.com/4LioRRoOEM
— Rondale Moore (@moore_rondale) August 6, 2020
The three followed Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley who was the first big name in college football to opt out and prepare for the draft.
Aside from how health risks impacted their decisions, all three players were key contributors to their teams and were three of the most impactful players in the conference.
Micah Parsons in 2019: 109 tackles, 14 tackles-for-loss, 5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles.
Rondale Moore in 2018 (he was injured most of the 2019 season): 114 receptions, 1258 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Rashod Bateman in 2019: 60 receptions, 1219 yards and 11 touchdowns.
They are now all ranked by TheDraftNetwork as the No. 3 prospect in the draft (Parsons), the No. 17 prospect (Moore) and the No. 27 prospect (Bateman).
The health risks of playing football this season obviously can’t be overlooked, but from a pure football perspective these players not being on the field will have far-reaching effects on the Big Ten season and who is crowned conference champion.
Oh, and these three probably will not be the last.