UCLA Football: UCLA TE/WR Thomas Duarte Declares for NFL Draft

The OC Register’s Joey Kaufman is reporting that UCLA junior TE/WR Thomas Duarte filed his paper work and will bypass his senior season and enter the NFL draft.

This is a great opportunity for Duarte, who has become a somewhat of a fan-favorite over his three years at UCLA. This past season he quickly developed a great rapport with freshman quarterback Josh Rosen to the tune of 53 catches for 872 yards and a team-high 10 touchdown receptions. He has the hands and, at 6’2″/225, the size to produce in the red zone. I’ve seen Duarte projected as high as the third round.

Kaufman reports that offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone‘s departure last week for Texas A&M ‘helped to make [Duarte’s] decision.’ As a hybrid ‘Y receiver,’ Duarte was a great fit for Mazzone’s offensive scheme. Mazzone’s replacement is running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu, who is rumored to move the offense in a pro-style, power direction. It would be only reasonable for Duarte to wonder if these changes might artificially depress his production in 2016 – so I don’t fault him at all for declaring while his stock is riding high.

RELATED: Kennedy Polamalu to be Next UCLA Offensive Coordinator

That said, his departure is a big blow for the Bruin offense. Jordan Payton is graduating, and Paul Perkins has also declared early. That’s all three of Rosen’s top weapons gone next year. The Bruins’ depth at running back is an asset, but Rosen will have to shoulder significantly more of the load in 2016 without his top three skill guys.

Make no mistake, losing underclassmen to the draft is a good thing. It means you have good players, and it suggests good coaching. It’s also something recruits notice. These four- and five-star kids who dream of playing on Sundays will be drawn to a school with a proven record of sending players on to professional success. So while Duarte’s absence will hurt in the short-term, he’s part of a major leap forward that UCLA has taken as a program under Jim Mora.

Additionally, Duarte’s departure may come with a silver lining. If Polamalu does shift the offense away from the zone-read spread and toward the pro-style, that means UCLA will need tight ends. (The reported hiring of Rip Scherer as tight ends coach lends further credence to this rumor.) It was always hard to recruit tight ends to Mazzone’s offense, so the cupboard is bare there. As Jim Mora pushes hard in his recruitment of top TE Devin Asiasi, not having an entrenched starter at the position can only help.

Next: UCLA Ranked 21st in the Way-Too-Early ESPN Top 25

Thus is the bittersweet nature of college football. Your favorites move on, but, doing so, they make room for tomorrow’s favorites, kids yearning to make a name for themselves and be a part of something great.