University of Wisconsin junior cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu has elected to enter the NFL draft and will not return for his senior season, ESPN.com reported Monday.

Ikegwuonu, who turned 22 on Monday, filed the appropriate paperwork with the league office to enter the draft, according to the Web site's report.

An NFL source told the State Journal late last week that Ikegwuonu had hired an agent, but UW coach Bret Bielema said through a spokesman that he wasn't aware of that and declined further comment. Ikegwuonu was supposed to meet with Bielema on Friday.

Ikegwuonu, a two-time first-team, All-Big Ten Conference selection from Madison Memorial High School, admittedly had an up-and-down season.

He said following the Badgers' 21-17 loss to Tennessee in the Outback Bowl last Tuesday that he was leaning toward returning because he had "unfinished business." But he added he would do what was best for himself and his family.

ESPN.com said Ikegwuonu is projected to be a "high-round selection," but scouts are anxious to see how fast he runs. Ikegwuonu has been timed at UW in 4.4 seconds for the 40-yard dash but the NFL does not have its own time on him.

Because Ikegwuonu has not yet officially been cleared for the draft, NFL scouts are not allowed to talk about him to the media. But ESPN.com talked to two scouts and said Ikegwuonu has "solid cover instincts" and "seemed to raise the level of his game against the conference's top receivers."

This is not expected to be a deep draft for cornerbacks, which likely influenced Ikegwuonu's decision. The last UW player to leave for the NFL after his junior season was running back Brian Calhoun, a third-round pick by the Detroit Lions in 2006.

The departure of Ikegwuonu is a significant setback for next season's defense. The two players who would be the projected starters at cornerback, current junior Allen Langford and freshman Aaron Henry, each are coming off ACL surgeries. They will not be available for spring practices but could be back in time for the start of fall camp.

"They say, for the most part, I'll be back by next year, by the time we start fall practices," Henry said before the Outback Bowl. "I don't want to get back too fast and mess it up again. ... I'm just trying to get back as healthy and as fast as I can. However long it takes, I'll be able to wait."

Sophomore Josh Nettles and redshirt freshman Niles Brinkley likely will line up with the No. 1 defense at the start of spring practices. Another option is freshman Otis Merrill, who was redshirted after preseason shoulder surgery but returned to practice prior to the bowl game.

The Badgers also have safeties with cornerback experience, including two sophomores: starting free safety Shane Carter and his backup, Kim Royston.

Ikegwuonu started 29 games, with 91 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, six interceptions and 35 passes defended in his career. He broke up 16 passes this season, tied for seventh-most in school history.

He still faces charges of residential burglary and criminal trespass from a November 2006 arrest in DeKalb, Ill., along with his twin brother, Bill, after they allegedly broke into an apartment and tried to steal an Xbox. A trial has been set for Jan. 14 in Sycamore, Ill.