LSU will lose one of its great offensive weapons to the NFL after Kayshon Boutte declared Wednesday that he is now entering the 2023 NFL Draft. Boutte had said he would stay at LSU for another season, but said he had since changed his mind. . Earlier in the season, Boutte removed all LSU content from his social media, leading to rumors of a transfer, but that issue appeared to be resolved as Boutte played some good football down the stretch. Now without its star wide receiver, LSU will look to its talented incoming freshman class and transfers to step up next season.
Boutte does a 180 and declares for the NFL draft
Kayshon Boutte declared in early December that he was ready to win the national championship with LSU. He didn’t go into the draft and was going back to Baton Rouge.
“LSU has been amazing to me,” Boutte said at the time. “My growth under the new staff has helped me reach new levels. While we didn’t achieve the overall goal, we struggled and delivered results that will be a springboard for future success.
“It is important to follow your dreams and live with the results. While some stories will end here, mine will not. Let’s focus and concentrate on the main goal of any LSU Tiger: winning a national championship.”
Fast forward a few weeks and the narrative has changed. Boutte has now stated that he will indeed enter the 2023 NFL Draft.
After careful thought and consideration, I will declare for the 2023 NFL DRAFT.
– Kayshon Boutte (@KayshonBoutte1) December 29, 2022
On Wednesday, Boutte posted on Twitter: “After careful thought and consideration, I will declare for the 2023 NFL DRAFT.”
Boutte made 131 receptions in his three years with the Tigers. He had 1,782 receiving yards and 16 receiving touchdowns in his time in Baton Rouge.
His last season was a topsy-turvy affair. Boutte removed all mentions of the show from his social media as he struggled to form early in the season before seemingly solving the problem and playing well towards the end of the year. Saying he would stay and then declare for the draft seems to be on point for Boutte, and his attitude may be a cause for concern for NFL executives evaluating the WR.
Boutte has first-round talent and could go mid-to-late in the first round in the 2023 NFL Draft, but some mocks have a second-round rating and others put Boutte in the third round.
