Emmitt Smith Opts to Enter NFL Draft : Football: Scouts rate Florida junior tailback among top prospects and a certain first-round pick.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. —  Florida tailback Emmitt Smith today became the fifth prominent college underclassman to give up his college eligibility in a bid for this year’s NFL draft.

The teary-eyed junior informed his parents, teammates and Coach Steve Spurrier of his decision not to return for his senior year shortly before a news conference and said he was giving up his chase for the Heisman Trophy to pursue an “opportunity of a lifetime.”

“Every guy has a dream of being in the NFL. I’m not going to stand here and give you a sob story about my family needing money because I feel like they don’t really need money,” Smith said. “It’s a personal goal of mine and I want to achieve it in the best way possible.

“This past season has helped me increase my stock (in the draft) and I don’t want to risk the chance of decreasing it.”

Smith rushed for 1,599 yards and 14 touchdowns last fall and finished the season with 3,928 career yards--fifth on the SEC’s all-time list--and 36 touchdowns. He holds 56 school records, including rushing yards and TDs, and finished ninth in the Heisman balloting as a freshman and seventh in 1989.

“I never dreamed I’d be standing here after three years saying I’m leaving to go to the NFL,” he said. “But I felt like last season is the best I’ve had in college, and I’m the healthiest I’ve been. I didn’t win the Heisman and I didn’t win a (SEC) championship, but I feel I’ve done everything I could do except graduate.”

The 5-feet 10-inch, 202-pound tailback plans to remain in school this semester and vowed to return to obtain his degree between pro seasons. Smith did not face a deadline to declare himself eligible for the NFL until later in the spring, but said he wanted to end speculation about his future so he could enjoy life as a student again.

“It’s been hectic for myself and my family,” he said, adding that he made up his mind to leave Florida last weekend but did not reveal his plans until just before the news conference he arranged on Tuesday.

Smith joins Alabama linebacker Keith McCants, Arkansas fullback Barry Foster, Georgia tailback Rodney Hampton and former Tennessee running back Reggie Cobb in publicly declaring for the NFL draft. However, he said he has been told that nearly 40 college juniors have petitioned for early entry to the NFL.

NFL scouts rate Smith as one of the top running back prospects and a certain first-round pick. The tailback said he has not signed with an agent and did not consult with anyone about his value in the draft before making his decision.

“The draft’s been very strange the last three years, very unpredictable,” he said, adding that he does not have a preference for where he wants to play in the NFL.

“I would like to play anywhere I’m drafted. I just want to play.”