Nebraska football: Nick Gates becomes second Husker to enter draft early
Nick Gates raised some eyebrows around the Nebraska football team with his announcement.
The 2018 version of the Nebraska football team will officially have two starters to replace. Quarterback Tanner Lee announced he was heading to the NFL draft last week.
Offensive lineman Nick Gates announced for the NFL draft very early Tuesday morning. Gates took to his official Twitter account to explain why he was going pro.
In part, Gates said he believes that new head coach Scott Frost will take the Husker program where it needs to go but “after talking it over with family, friends and coaches, I have officially decided to declare for the 2018 NFL Draft.” Gates said.
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While Tanner Lee’s announcement was expected, Gates surprised many. There had been rumors earlier in the day on Monday that the lineman had been telling teammates he was leaving.
He waited until around 1:30 in the morning on Tuesday to make the announcement official. Considering the struggles that the Huskers offensive line had under Mike Riley, there are undoubtedly some who believe Gates could have helped his draft stock by sticking around one more year.
It’s unclear what Gates was told that made him decide leaving after his junior year was the right move for him. Was he told that he might not be the starter in 2018?
Thank you #GBR!!! pic.twitter.com/NLJcXlhZRX
— Nick Gates (@nickgates77) January 2, 2018
Was it simply a lack of desire to start over again with a new head coach? The future certainly seems bright for Scott Frost and company, but another bad season wouldn’t look great on the resume.
Like Lee, Gates appears to be a bit of a longshot to get drafted. It seems far more likely they will both be looking for UDFA contracts.
As one recent mock draft showed, it seems like a bit of a longshot for any former Nebraska football players to be taken. It will be interesting to see how the story of Nick Gates in the NFL unfolds.