Mississippi State junior middle linebacker Benardrick McKinney is widely considered the best inside linebacker prospect in the 2015 NFL draft class.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. rates McKinney as his No. 1 draft-eligible inside linebacker, as does the CBS Sports big board.

But when asked about his plans for next season, McKinney was noncommittal as to whether he’d declare for the draft or return to Mississippi State for his senior season.

“No comment on that,” McKinney told the Jackson Clarion Ledger. “I’m going to talk it over with my family, but no comment on that.”

Head coach Dan Mullen was not as subtle when asked whether he thought McKinney might pass on the NFL to return to MSU for one final season.

“I have a good feel for what’s going to happen,” Mullen said. “We’ll talk about it after the game.”

According to ESPN’s Alex Scarbrough, that “good feel” Mullen has is telling him McKinney will likely declare for the NFL after the Orange Bowl on Dec. 31.

McKinney received his draft grade from the NFL advisory board last week, along with MSU junior quarterback Dak Prescott. Neither player made their grade public.

The grades give players an idea of where they might be valued in the upcoming draft, although it only takes into account a player’s abilities on the football field and nothing more.

McKinney led Mississippi State with 61 tackles in 2014. He added 8.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, four pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. His 233 tackles the last three seasons lead all Mississippi State defenders in that span.