Nick Bolton will skip bowl game, enter NFL Draft
Nick Bolton has played his final game as a Missouri Tiger. The junior linebacker announced on Monday afternoon that he would skip the Tigers' bowl game and enter the 2021 NFL Draft.
He is the second Tiger to do so, joining offensive lineman Larry Borom, who made his announcement on Sunday.
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The move had been expected for most of the season, if not longer. Bolton entered the year as a pre-season all-SEC player and backed it up on the field. Bolton made 95 tackles, including 55 solo stops, in a season that earned him honors as a finalist for the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker. Most mock drafts have him listed as a late first round pick in April's draft.
Missouri's coaching staff was certainly not caught off guard by the news. Eli Drinkwitz encouraged Bolton to go through senior day ceremonies prior to Mizzou's 50-48 win over Arkansas in week eight of the season in case he chose to leave after this year.
"Nick is special, man," Missouri defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said earlier this season. "I'm not at all shocked that he's having the ability to enter the draft after his junior season. In fact, if he were talking about staying I'd probably tell him he's crazy.
"He's a pro. He's a superstar."
Bolton had initially committed to Washington out of high school in Frisco, TX, but he and the Huskies parted ways. Bolton ultimately chose the Tigers over Kansas, Purdue and Louisiana Tech, among others. He instantly made an impression in Columbia, drawing high praise in fall camp prior to his freshman season.
He played sparingly as a freshman in 2018, making 22 tackles. Eight of those came in one game when he replaced starter Terez Hall, ejected for targeting, in the first half of a 39-10 loss to Alabama. As a sophomore, Bolton teamed with Cale Garrett to form one of the nation's best linebacker duos before Garrett suffered a season-ending injury in the fifth game of the year. Bolton became the leader of the defense and ended the season with 107 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, eight passes defended, two interceptions and a touchdown.
Bolton appeared slowed in the final few games of the season by nagging injuries, but still made 19 tackles in the last three contests and helped lead the Tigers to a .500 record.
"It's been more than an honor to represent the University of Missouri!" he tweeted.
Bolton and Tiger fans will find out his next stop in April, quite possibly in the first round.
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