Fitz's Future
By Tony DeFazio

By the time you read this, Larry Fitzgerald will most likely have made his future plans known. The 2003 Heisman Trophy runner-up will either return for a third year at the University of Pittsburgh, or he will apply for entry into the NFL's April draft.

It is not as easy as Fitzgerald making the decision on his own. The NFL will have a say in the matter because he is technically just two years removed from high school. The NFL says players must be three years removed to be eligible for their entry draft. And Fitzgerald likely won't fight the NFL if they contest his eligibility. But the league may well waive that rule in Fitzgerald's case, since he spent a fifth year of high school at Valley Forge Military Academy.

Fitzgerald belongs in the NFL. He's currently rated as a top five pick by most draft gurus, and certainly no lower than a top 10 selection. The 6-3, 225-pound sophomore has all the tools to be an elite receiver at the next level - ridiculously strong hands, outstanding body control, precise route-running skills, tenacious downfield blocking ability. What he lacks is blazing speed, but his 4.5 forty-time is not exactly slow. While no college player is completely ready for the NFL, the learning curve for Fitzgerald will be shorter than most. In other words, he's as ready as anyone - and probably as ready as he'll ever be.

For most college sophomores, entering the NFL draft is a risk. Not so for Fitzgerald. There is almost nothing Fitzgerald can do to increase his draft stock, shy of winning the Heisman. Even if he wins the trophy, how much will his profile be raised? Receivers are drafted on a need-basis and he could go anywhere in the top five or 10, depending on the team making the selection. By returning to Pitt, he risks far more than he does by taking his shot at the NFL this spring.

An injury during a third college season could mean a plummeting draft status. The Panthers will also break in a new quarterback next fall, which likely means lower numbers for Fitzgerald. Even though many close to the Pitt program believe Tyler Palko can and will develop into a better quarterback than his predecessor, there will be growing pains for whoever replaces Rod Rutherford.

In his heart, Fitzgerald seems like a kid who still loves to play college football, and good for him (and Pitt) if he does return. Not enough athletes savor the college experience. In his head, though, Fitzgerald knows his time is now. If the NFL says OK, Fitzgerald must say goodbye to Pitt.