Defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson plans to leave Temple early for shot at NFL

Temple defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson said Tuesday that he plans to forgo his senior year with the Owls to enter the 2011 NFL draft.

"I sat down with my mom, and we decided to take the shot now," Wilkerson said from Atlanta, where he arrived Monday to begin training at Competitive Edge Sports.

The 6-foot-5, 305-pound native of Linden, N.J., was an all-Mid-American Conference first-team selection as a sophomore and junior. Last fall, Wilkerson was Temple's third-leading tackler with 70, and his 91/2 sacks and 13 tackles for losses were team highs.

That tackle total was tops for a MAC player at his position, where the rock-solid Wilkerson destroyed opponents with his combination of size, strength, and unusual speed and quickness.

Last month, Wilkerson petitioned the NFL Advisory Committee for an evaluation of his draft prospects.

Made up of league front-office personnel, the advisory committee reviews film of the applicants to determine their NFL readiness.

According to a person involved with Wilkerson, the player is expecting to be a second-round pick.

"We went through the process, and I made my decision based on my grade," Wilkerson said. "Growing up, I always dreamed about playing professional football, and once I got to Temple, from the coaching I got, and the progress I made on the field, I started hearing I could be an NFL player."

With Wilkerson following head coach Al Golden and defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio out the door at Temple - the coaches have moved on to the University of Miami - he was asked if playing for the same coaching staff next season might have influenced his thinking.

"Maybe a little bit," said Wilkerson, who said he spoke with newly hired Owls coach Steve Addazio over the phone but had not met him in person. "But I had a special bond with those guys. They were the first to recruit me. But I'm going to miss Temple, and being with my teammates, and all the good times, and being a student-athlete there."

Although invitations have not gone out yet - prospects are just beginning to make their decisions - Wilkerson is expected to receive one to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in February. Temple will host a pro day in March when some NFL teams will look at a smaller group of players.

At the Competitive Edge Sports facility, Wilkerson will go through the same kind of drills that he expects to be asked to perform at the Combine.

Wilkerson said that he promised his mother, Janice Wilkerson, that he would return to Temple to get his degree over the next few years. He is a sociology major.

"I won't break my promise to my mother," said Wilkerson, who called her his "best friend."