Southern Miss finds itself with another void to fill as wide receiver Korey Robertson decides to forgo his senior season to enter his name in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Robertson caught a total of 51 passes for 637 yards in his first two season at Southern Miss. However, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound receiver caught 76 passes for the Golden Eagles in 2017, the second most in Southern Miss single-season history, recording 1,106 yards and 12 touchdowns in what became a breakout season. When he decided to sign with STL Sports Group, his decision was official to start his journey towards professional football.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported on Jan. 2 that Robertson is projected as a second or third round draft pick for 2018. Robertson is the first Southern Miss underclassmen to declare for the NFL early since the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches did so following the 2014 season. Nunez- Roches was ultimately a sixth-round pick. Robertson said he feels he has achieved his collegiate goals and has spoken to various NFL staff members who also give him a grade with a mid- round pick.

Southern Miss is losing other receivers as well, with Allenzae Staggers and Isaiah Jones going due to graduation. Considering Ito Smith was a threat in the passing game as well, this means Southern Miss has lost its top-four targets in the air. Quez Watkins, Jaylond Adams and Tim Jones are notables that will return to the receiving core, in addition to Trevor Terry, Jordan Mitchell, Reid Rials and Bubba Fludd. During the early signing period, Southern Miss added two junior college receivers in Neil McLaurin and DeMichael Harris with a chance to add more when prospects are eligible to sign again beginning on February 7.