Thompson Declares for NFL Draft

STARKVILLE – After one of the most productive careers at middle linebacker in program history, Erroll Thompson has announced he will enter his name in the 2021 NFL Draft.

"First, thank God for blessing me with the talent and mindset to play the game that I love. Without Him none of this would be possible," said Thompson. "To my mom, dad and family, thank you for supporting me and being by my side during this incredible journey. Your love and support are what drives me every day.

"To my teammates and coaches - especially Zach Arnett, Todd Grantham and Bob Shoop - I was blessed to be surrounded by many great people that helped me reach this point and am grateful for each of you. Finally, to my Mississippi State family, thank you for always showing up, being loud and ringing those cowbells. Keep being the driving force behind this program, because big things are coming.

"At this time, I am blessed to announce I will be entering my name into the NFL Draft to pursue my life-long dream."

The Florence, Alabama, native appeared in 50 games during his four season on campus and started 40 of his last 41 games in the maroon and white. In December of 2020, Thompson walked across the stage inside of the Humphrey Coliseum as a graduate with his degree in interdisciplinary studies.

He became the 16th Bulldog to eclipse the 300-tackle mark and ended his career with 313 career stops. Thompson piled up 80-plus tackles during each of his final three seasons, which included a career-best 96 stops during the 2020 campaign. Over four seasons, he compiled 22.0 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovered.

In 2020, Thompson logged 10-plus tackles in seven of 11 games and added 4.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. His season started with back-to-back double-digit tackle games at LSU (10) and versus Arkansas (13) and he ended his career with a 10-tackle effort versus Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl. He also collected his third career interception against Vanderbilt.

As a sophomore, Thompson earned second-team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press after he was the only linebacker in the SEC with at least 85 tackles and multiple interceptions. During his first season on the field, he earned Freshman All-SEC honors after he led all SEC freshmen linebackers in tackles (46) and was No. 5 among all league freshmen in stops.

The 2021 NFL draft will take place in Cleveland, Ohio, with the first round on April 29. Rounds 2 and 3 will be on April 30, while Rounds 4 through 7 will be on May 1.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Thompson Declares for NFL Draft

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