Notre Dame’s Ronnie Stanley to enter NFL Draft

Aug 30, 2014; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman Ronnie Stanley (78) waits between plays during the game agains the Rice Owls at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 48-17. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley still plans to complete his college degree. But as one of the top left tackle prospects in college football, he’ll have to take care of that later. Because on Monday, he announced that he intends to apply for early eligibility into the 2016 NFL Draft.

The 6’6″, 315-pounder is ready with the arm length and athleticism he’ll need in pass protection. He also has the strength he needs to anchor against a bull-rush and get a push when run-blocking. He actually could have been a 1st-round pick last year so it was a no-brainer for him to come out now.

As a matter of fact, Stanley’s plan, from the moment he decided to stay, was to turn pro after the 2015 season. And that’s exactly how he sounded when he told Comcast Sportsnet Chicago, “I knew if I came back, this would be the last year. It wasn’t really something I thought about.”

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly was the least surprised by the Stanley decision to enter the draft. Earlier this month, he told the media he had no expectation of the 4th-year junior returning.

NFL Media analyst Lance Zierlein ranked Stanley the No. 2 offensive tackle in college football in August. Fellow NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah paid close attention to Stanley against Clemson star defensive end Shaq Lawson. The next domino to fall among left tackle prospects is Ole Miss left tackle Laremy Tunsil.

And along with the other college underclassmen, he has until the Jan. 18 deadline to do so.