National Football League

Penn State Football: Defensive Starter Leaves Early for NFL Draft

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:31 p.m. ET

Fansided, Barry Leonard Jr./FanSided via Victory Bell Rings

A Penn State defensive starter has declared for the 2017 NFL Draft.

Penn State announced Wednesday that a junior starter would be leaving early in order to be eligible for the upcoming NFL Draft. Defensive end Garrett Sickels, who started 24 games over the past two seasons, has decided to forgo his final season in Happy Valley.

The announcement of Sickels leaving could be looked at as a bit of a surprise, but he’s coming off an excellent season that saw him earn All-Big Ten second team honors. He made a career-high 47 total tackles and six sacks this year. He also recorded 12.5 tackles for loss.

Aside from the all-conference honor, Sickels was named the team’s Defensive MVP at the annual football banquet.

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Sickels played a big role for the Nittany Lions this season and had a huge game during the upset of Ohio State. Against the Buckeyes, the junior recorded nine total tackles with 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss.

Wednesday’s released statement included some words from Sickels himself.

“After taking some time to reflect on this season and my career at Penn State, I am going to declare for the 2017 NFL Draft. This was not an easy decision by any means but I am excited for the next chapter. I want to thank Coach O’Brien for giving me a scholarship to Penn State. Coach Franklin, Coach Pry and Coach Spencer, thank you for pushing me every day and giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to play for the Blue and White. I will forever by a Penn State Nittany Lion.”

For his career, Sickels recorded 93 total tackles, including 11 sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss.

With the majority of the starters on both offense and defense set to return in 2017, the Nittany Lions appear to be in good shape for next season. The loss of Sickels will hurt, but James Franklin has done an excellent job of recruiting and should have other guys ready to step up when needed.

VBR wishes Garrett the best of luck as he pursues a career at the professional level.