Florida State running Devonta Freeman will enter the 2014 NFL Draft, NFL Media insider Mike Silver reported Saturday morning.
Freeman received a third-round grade from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, according to ESPN.com. He would be the fourth FSU underclassmen to declare, joining junior defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan, junior tailback James Wilder Jr. and sophomore wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin.
While sharing carries with Wilder and Karlos Williams, Freeman (5-foot-9, 203 pounds) rushed for 1,016 yards and 14 touchdowns during the Seminoles' run to a BCS championship this season. He is the first Florida State back to top 1,000 yards in a season since Warrick Dunn in 1996. Freeman also caught 22 passes for 278 yards and one touchdown. He also led the team in rushing with 579 yards as a true freshman in 2011 and was second in 2012 with 660 yards.
Freeman has good quickness, and while he lacks elite speed, he usually can turn the corner. He became a more effective receiver this season. But he has had at least 15 carries in a game just eight times in his career, so it's unknown whether he can handle a heavy workload.
The flipside: Unlike other top backs in the 2014 class, such as Andre Williams and Bishop Sankey, who had heavy workloads during their college careers, Freeman should have fresh legs as he arrives at the next level.
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