Florida State will lose junior defensive end Bjoern Werner to the NFL but will have junior safety Lamarcus Joyner back for one more year.
Werner, a consensus All-American from Germany, said he made the decision to enter the draft “after sitting down with my wife, Denise, and gathering as much information (as possible).”
Some have the 6-foot-4, 265-pound Werner as one of the top two defensive ends in the country, and one projection has him going No. 2 in the draft to Jacksonville.
Werner is seventh nationally in sacks per game and second in total sacks (13). He also finished with 42 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and eight pass breakups. He entered the Orange Bowl leading the nation in yards accumulated on tackles behind the line of scrimmage (134).
Werner finished his career with 23.5 sacks, tied for fourth all time at FSU, and 35 tackles for loss, which is ninth in school history. He is the second FSU defensive end to be a consensus All-American as a junior, joining Peter Boulware.
Coach Jimbo Fisher called this “the best decision for him and his family.”
Joyner was a first team All-ACC selection. He had 51 tackles and five pass breakups.
“Coach Fisher and I aren’t finished with what we started here,” said Joyner, who played at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale. “He said from Day One I was going to be one of those guys that was going to help turn this program around. We’ve started down the right path so far, but we’re still not finished.”
The Seminoles are still awaiting a decision from linebacker Christian Jones. Cornerback Xavier Rhodes announced after Tuesday’s victory over Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl that he’s skipping his senior season.
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