Morris Claiborne, Trent Richardson & the Bama & LSU Players Who Declared Early

The LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide are obviously two of the most talented teams in the country. Every year, they are both national championship contenders and are highly ranked in the polls. That's in large part because they both have NFL potential on both sides of the ball.

This season, a lot of that talent is leaving both teams. There have already been several players that have declared early for this years NFL draft. While both teams have great recruiting classes and will likely survive these losses, these teams will look different come next season.

Here are the top players from both teams that have left college to take their talents to the next level.

LSU CB Morris Claiborne

Morris Claiborne is the latest player to leave school, and this is a huge blow to the LSU defense. Sure, they have great players to replace him, but this was a guy who had 51 tackles and a ridiculous six interceptions this season.

The guy is an absolute ball hawk and a shutdown corner. He and Tyrann Mathieu really made things difficult for any quarterback to have success.

Now that he has made this decision, he is a top five player in the draft and will likely be the first cornerback taken off the board.

LSU WR Russell Shepard

Russell Shepard also declared for the NFL draft, but this move makes absolutely no sense to me. Shepard really hasn't produced much for the Tigers in his three years, as his best season was only 33 receptions for 254 yards and one touchdown.

He has almost no NFL draft stock whatsoever. This may be more frustration from being embarrassed in the BCS national championship game than anything.

LSU WR Rueben Randle

This move hasn't been made official quite yet, but there are rumors going around that he is heavily considering moving on. If it's in fact true, it would be a huge loss for the Tigers, as Randle is the Tigers top receiver. He finished his junior year with 53 receptions for 917 yards and eight touchdowns. He's a big target at 6'4", 208 pounds and would likely be a second- to third-round pick in this years draft.

Then again, if he was to return for his senior year, he'd have the chance to work his way up into the first round.

Alabama RB Trent Richardson

This move doesn't come as a surprise, as Richardson has really done everything he can do at Alabama, including winning a national championship. He's by far the best running back in this year's draft class and will likely be a top-10 pick.

He's a complete back with a great combination of power and quickness and will instantly improve any offense he is added to. He's NFL-ready right now.

There are very few backs that are as complete as Richardson is, and that's what makes him so valuable.

Alabama CB Dre Kirkpatrick

While LSU is losing its top cornerback, Alabama is as well with Dre Kirkpatrick. These corners are like 1a and 1b and will likely both be first-round picks in this year's draft.

Kirkpatrick is a very physical corner at 6'2, 192 pounds, and he plays the game with a lot of emotion. He has solid ball skills and isn't afraid to get dirty in run support. He finished his junior year with 29 tackles and two forced fumbles.

Alabama ILB Dont'a Hightower

This loss is probably going to hurt the Crimson Tide the most because they're already losing linebacker Courtney Upshaw. Hightower is one of the most physical linebackers in the country and finished this season with 85 tackles, four sacks, 11 tackles for loss and one interception.

Although he does have a history with injuries, you can expect him to be a high draft pick as he has everything you look for in a solid linebacker.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]