Stanford S Ed Reynolds Declares for 2014 NFL Draft

The Stanford Cardinal will be losing another key player on their vaunted defense to the NFL draft.

With Trent Murphy and Shayne Skov already on their way out, star safety Ed Reynolds has followed suit and declared his intentions to go pro, he announced through the school Tuesday:

"

After much thought and discussion with my family and mentors, I have decided to enter the NFL Draft. I would to thank the Stanford football family for putting me in this position and preparing me for the next level. A very special thanks to our coaching staff, support staff and my teammates for making the memories of these past four years last a lifetime.

I would like to extend my deepest and most sincere gratitude to the Stanford community for its support during my time on The Farm. A better script could not have been written for my experience at Stanford as a student-athlete.

"

Stanford actually listed Reynolds as a senior on its official roster, though the Stoneville, N.C. native had one year of eligibility remaining after missing the entire 2011 season due to injury.

After missing his sophomore year, Reynolds burst onto the national scene in 2012 when he led the Cardinal with six interceptions. He amassed 301 interception return yards, leaving him one yard shy of the NCAA single-season record. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 and second-team All-America that season.

His third year wasn't as prolific statistically, as opposing offenses generally avoided the middle of the field where he roamed. Still, the 6'2", 206-pound safety tallied 87 tackles with one interception and four pass breakups.

He earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors once again and made several first-team All-American teams.

The Stanford release noted that he will re-enroll in the spring quarter and return again in the offseason in attempts to finish his degree in political science.

CBSSports.com projected Reynolds as the No. 2 safety in the 2015 class. Now that he has declared for the 2014 draft, he could be a first- or second-round selection.

Stanford will be left with a bit of a bare cupboard after Reynolds' departure. His listed backup, Devon Carrington, is a senior and will be departing as well. The team's only other listed free safety, Chris Gaertner, is also a senior.