Jamel Hamler
Wide Receiver

Fresno State’s top receiver from 2010 will no longer be playing for the Bulldogs after declaring for the 2011 NFL draft.

Jamel Hamler, a junior, is coming off a career year after leading the Bulldogs with 54 receptions and 812 receiving yards to go along with six touchdowns despite missing a game and playing through minor injuries.

Hamler’s decision to enter the draft came to a surprise for many. Hamler is just the fourth player since Pat Hill became Fresno State’s head coach to bolt early for the NFL.

The other players to skip their senior years were record-setting tailback Ryan Mathews, who was drafted with the 12th overall pick by the San Diego Chargers last year, New England Patriots starting safety James Sanders and Richard Marshall.

Sanders was selected in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL draft and Marshall was picked in the second round in 2006.

Hamler enjoyed a very productive junior year. Against Idaho on the game-winning drive, Colburn hit Hamler for a 24-yard pass to set up running back A.J. Ellis’s touchdown run.

On that play, Colburn connected with a leaping Hamler, who caught it in the air, broke a tackle and raced toward the Idaho 1, setting up Fresno State with a season-salvaging victory.

That single play was impressive and athletic by Hamler, but even then many fans expected that Hamler would be back for the 2011 season. With an emerging Derek Carr waiting in the wings, a Carr-to-Hamler connection looked to be a serious threat to Western Athletic Conference secondaries.

Skeptics believe that Hamler could use another year to season his game, but with higher-profile receivers such as Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon and Oklahoma’s Ryan Broyles opting to return for their senior years, Hamler could benefit for leaving school a year early.

While entering the draft might turn out to be a huge gamble for Hamler, the risks of declaring as a junior could pay off if he is indeed selected. But if Hamler isn’t drafted at all, he could take the free-agent route like former Bulldogs Seyi Ajirotutu, Marlon Moore and Clifton Smith.

All three went on to impress their respective coaches after being picked up as free agents. In their first year as pros, Ajirotutu, Moore and Smith made an immediate impact as special teams and spot players. Smith made the Pro Bowl in 2008 as a kick and punt retuner while Ajirotutu and Moore each played in more than nine games.

The main downside for leaving early is that Hamler will not have an immediate fall-back plan if the NFL does not pan out.