LSU star wide receiver Kayshon Boutte will enter the 2023 NFL Draft per his Twitter account. With this news, Boutte will consequently not play in LSU’s Citrus Bowl game against Purdue.
The news comes as a shock, as Boutte had announced that he would be returning for his senior season at LSU a few weeks prior. This decision has ramifications for the 2023 NFL Draft considering Boutte will join a receiving class devoid of talent compared to the past draft classes. With this, Boutte may be a first-round pick assuming he tests well at the Combine. While his numbers have not lived up to the hype he has had since his freshman season, Boutte did come to life towards the end of the 2022 season. Despite finishing with 538 yards and 2 touchdowns, 224 of those yards came against SEC-level competition in Flordia and a vaunted Georgia defense.
Kayshon Boutte’s athletic profile will lead him to be a likely first-round pick. After Quentin Johnston, Jordan Addison, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba there are no other sure-fire first-round wide receivers in the 2023 draft class. With so many teams in desperate need of a pass catcher and playmaker, I fully expect someone to reach on Boutte in spite of his lackluster numbers put up this past year. Most of it can be attributed to transfer quarterback Jayden Daniels not giving him the looks he deserves, nor the accurate passes.
Jayden Daniels and the rest of the LSU offense will be missing Kayshon Boutte in their upcoming bowl game against Purdue. Expect significantly more running out of the backfield with Daniels and less dropping back to pass. Regardless, Purdue does not impose much of a threat to the LSU buzzsaw of a defense.
