BREAKING: LSU DB Mekhi Garner Declares For 2023 NFL Draft
LSU defensive back Mekhi Garner has declared for the 2023 NFL Draft and will play in the East-West Shrine Bowl as he prepares for his professional journey.
The Louisiana transfer tallied 43 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and eight pass breakups on the season after starting all 13 games in 2022 for LSU.
The 6-foot-2, 217-pound cornerback attains tremendous size and strength for a defensive back, using his physical traits to his advantage once in the SEC.
Garner’s lone year in Baton Rouge certainly had its challenges, but continuing to lock in and grow as a unit allowed this squad to punch their ticket to the SEC Championship Game.
“When I came here and looked at the team, we had some bumps in the road here and there, but I always felt we were destined for greatness,” Garner said before the SEC Championship Game. “Now in the SEC Championship, let’s just go win it. Let’s go shock everybody who doubted us. You see on social media everyone had us 6-6 or 7-5 and we exceeded that. We just trusted what Kelly was telling us.”
LSU Will Prioritize Cornerback in Transfer Portal:
With Jarrick Bernard-Converse and Colby Richardson out of eligibility, it puts this unit in a bind going forward. Now add Garner, a player who showcased All-SEC caliber play in his first season with the Tigers, off to the NFL, this cornerbacks room is in a tough spot heading into the offseason.
The Bayou Bengals are now left with Sevyn Banks, Latterrance Welch, Jaelyn Davis-Robinson and the incoming freshmen. Banks, who has battled the injury bug all season, would then be the only corner on this roster with significant experience.
It was always known the Tigers would need to attack the transfer portal when it came to the secondary this offseason. With the portal open, expect LSU to hit this position group with force as they look to rebuild a room that, at times, showed consistency.
Brian Kelly’s Transfer Portal Message:
“They have got to be the right fit first,” Kelly said. “They have to recognize the value of an education from LSU. They have to have the right traits. We are not just open for business. We’re not just putting a sign up saying, hey, we are going to take whoever. They have to be the right fit. I prefer that they are from the state of Louisiana if we can find them. And then we are going to address needs based upon how that freshman class marries into it by the particular needs by position class.
“So we are not going to overload a particular position group. In other words, if we have got three or four wide receivers that are freshmen coming in, you may not see a heavy influence in the portal in that position.
“We are going to develop based upon our freshman class, too. So we are doing this at the same time, and also allowing our program to be younger, too. We want to bring both of these along. We don’t always want to be a turn-it-over program where we are bringing in transfers and turning the program over.”
