Football

Defensive lineman Ron Thompson reportedly will declare for NFL Draft

Logan Reidsma | Photo Editor

Ron Thompson led Syracuse with seven sacks this past season and will reportedly enter the 2016 NFL Draft.

Junior defensive lineman Ron Thompson will forgo his senior season to enter the NFL Draft, multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday night. ESPN’s Joe Schad was the first to report Thompson’s departure.

Last season, Thompson recorded a team-high seven sacks, tacking on four forced fumbles and 35 total tackles. The junior played defensive end this past season after briefly filling in at defensive tackle as a sophomore. He was originally recruited as a tight end and was ranked a four-star recruit by Scout.com.

The Orange’s defensive line, an already shorthanded unit, will be left even more depleted with the loss of Thompson. In addition to losing Thompson, junior defensive end Luke Arciniega announced last month that he won’t use his final year of eligibility.

Freshman defensive ends Qaadir Sheppard and Amir Ealey were suspended indefinitely in November and it’s unknown if they’ll return for the start of next season. They are two of the four defensive ends on the current roster who will likely be back with Syracuse next season, including Kenny Carter and Jake Pickard. Both Pickard and Carter redshirted in 2015. Only one defensive end, Jamal Holloway, has committed to the Orange’s Class of 2016.

In last year’s NFL Draft, no Syracuse players were taken for the first time since 2008.







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