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Tech's Brandon Flowers to skip senior year for NFL draft

Brandon Flowers' college football career is over, according to his father Willie. An All-American cornerback for Virginia Tech in his sophomore and junior seasons, Flowers will forego his senior year and declare for the this spring's NFL draft.

"Yep, he's declaring," Willie Flowers said by phone Sunday evening. "He's ready."

Flowers' father was interrupted during the call and could not provide further details. His son was third on the team in tackles this season with 86 and led the Hokies with five interceptions.

In the past two seasons, Flowers has amassed 137 tackles, 15.5 for loss, eight interceptions and 27 passes broken up.

He submitted his paperwork to the NFL advisory committee in December and learned the day after Christmas that he was projected as a second-round pick if he left school early.

"If there's a kid that I feel like, 'You're ready to go,' I'd tell him," Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster said during last week's Orange Bowl preparations. "That's the way I am with Brandon Flowers."

Even so, Flowers' departure is a big blow for a Hokies defense that loses six other starters from this season to graduation.

They'll now have to replace three of four starting defensive linemen, two of three starting linebackers and two of four defensive backs.