Silver declares for NFL Draft, won't return to Arkansas
Jordan Silver has declared for the 2022 NFL Draft and will not play a super senior season at Arkansas, he announced Monday.
The Branson, Mo., native joined the program as a walk-on before earning a scholarship and starting as its long snapper the last four years after initially redshirting.
He posted his decision on Twitter with a letter to Arkansas fans.
“I’ll never forget my time here, from living in the quads to spending endless hours in the football facility to all the study sessions in the Jones,” Silver wrote. “It has been such a blessing to be a Razorback and to serve the community that gives the Razorbacks so much support.”
Serving as the snapper on punts and kicks, Silver played 464 total special teams snaps over the last four seasons and was consistently among the highest-graded long snappers in the SEC, according to Pro Football Focus.
He earned grades of 74.8, 73.6, 68.5 and 73.5 as a freshman, sophomore, junior and senior, respectively. This year, Phil Steele named him the first-team All-SEC long snapper. Silver was also on the field for five fakes during his career, also giving him five offensive snaps.
Despite already spending five years at Arkansas, Silver could have decided to play an extra senior season with the Razorbacks because of the eligibility relief granted by the NCAA in response to the pandemic last year.
Instead, he’ll try his hand at the NFL Draft, which saw two long snappers picked in 2021 after having one selected in each of the previous six drafts. It appears he'll have a shot, as he was invited to participate in the Senior Bowl last month.
It was an expected move by Silver because Arkansas signed a scholarship long snapper in the 2022 class. Eli Stein will presumably compete with returning walk-ons John Oehrlein and Francisco Castro this spring to replace Silver.
He is the fifth traditional senior to make a decision regarding next year, as he follows cornerback Montaric Brown (NFL Draft), running back Trelon Smith (unknown) and wide receiver Kendall Catalon (transfer portal) as Razorbacks who are moving on.
Right tackle Dalton Wagner is the lone returner at this point, with offensive lineman Shane Clenin, safety Joe Foucha, linebacker Bumper Pool and defensive tackle John Ridgeway still undecided.
