Junior tight end Dion Sims runs down the field after receiving a long pass in the first half of the game with Northwestern linebacker David Nwabuisi trailing him. The Spartans fell to the Wildcats, 23-20, Nov. 17, 2012, at Spartan Stadium during senior day. Justin Wan/The State News
—MSU junior tight end Dion Sims will forego his senior season and enter the NFL Draft, according to a source of ESPN college football reporter Joe Schad.
Schad broke the news on Twitter Wednesday night, and said ESPN’s Scouts Inc. has Sims listed as the No. 4 tight end in the draft and the 77th ranked prospect overall.
The 6-foot-5, 285 pound Sims battled injuries throughout the season, but still finished third on the team in both receptions and receiving yards, totaling 36 catches for 475 yards and three touchdowns.
MSU associate athletic director John Lewandowski said he exchanged text messages with MSU football head coach Mark Dantonio throughout the day, but Sims’ possible decision was not brought up.
Sims is a redemptive story for MSU, after being suspended for the 2010 season for his involvement in the theft and sale of 104 computers belonging to the Detroit Public Schools.
Sims pled guilty to charges of receiving and concealing stolen property and the charges have since been expunged from his record as part of his probation agreement.
Since then, Dantonio has said Sims has “matured,” to become an offensive leader and playmaker for the Spartans this season.
This announcement could be the beginning of a busy couple of weeks for a few notable MSU juniors.
Running back Le’Veon Bell and defensive end William Gholston also are considering foregoing their senior seasons to enter the NFL Draft, and are expected to make their decisions public before the NFL’s Jan. 15 deadline for underclassmen to declare.
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