Florida State Seminoles

FSU star defensive end Brian Burns declares for NFL draft

Published Dec. 3, 2018 5:22 p.m. ET

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State defensive end Brian Burns has declared for the NFL draft.

Burns announced his decision Monday on Twitter. He told Yahoo! Sports his time at Florida State was "some of the best years of my life" but also says he can't pass up the opportunity to turn pro.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Burns was named a first-team All-ACC pick has been projected by some draft analysts as a potential first-round selection.

Burns had 23 career sacks, which places him in a tie for seventh on Florida State's all-time sack list. He had 10 sacks in his junior season and also set career highs with 52 tackles and 15.5 tackles for loss. He was often one of Florida State's most consistent players on a defense that struggled in the second half of the season as the Seminoles (5-7) missed out on a bowl game.

Florida State coaches are still waiting on decisions from a small group of draft-eligible juniors, including quarterback Deondre Francois, linebacker Dontavious Jackson and cornerback Levonta Taylor.