Yes, college sophomores are eligible to enter the NFL draft as long as they have been out of high school for at least three years.
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Yes, college sophomores are eligible to enter the NFL draft as long as they have been out of high school for at least three years. This means that if a student athlete graduates high school early, they could potentially enter the draft after their second year of college. However, it is important to note that just because a player is eligible for the draft doesn’t mean they will be selected or have a successful career in the NFL.
According to NFL.com, “The draft has been the NFL’s talent acquisition focal point since the league’s earliest days, and it is now the second-largest media event on the NFL calendar behind the actual Super Bowl.” With so much attention on the draft, there is often a lot of speculation and debate around which players will be selected and why.
One interesting fact about the NFL draft is that it is not a perfect system and there have been plenty of examples of highly-touted prospects who didn’t live up to expectations, as well as late-round picks who ended up having great careers. As NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said, “The draft is an inexact science and there is no one right way to do it.”
Another interesting fact is that there is a lot of strategy involved in the draft process, with teams often trading draft picks in order to move up or down and select the players they want. This can be a high-risk, high-reward strategy, as a bad trade or selection could set a team back significantly.
Overall, while college sophomores are eligible to enter the NFL draft, it is just the first step in what can be a challenging and unpredictable journey to a successful career in the NFL.
| Year | Round | Overall | Name | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | Baker Mayfield | QB | Oklahoma |
| 2018 | 1 | 2 | Saquon Barkley | RB | Penn State |
| 2018 | 1 | 3 | Sam Darnold | QB | USC |
| 2018 | 1 | 4 | Denzel Ward | CB | Ohio State |
| 2018 | 1 | 5 | Bradley Chubb | DE | NC State |
Response video to “Can college sophomores enter NFL draft?”
The hosts of KJZ discuss the potential of Trey Lance, a quarterback from North Dakota State who is expected to enter the 2021 NFL Draft. Despite only making 17 career starts at the FCS level, Lance is considered to be capable of playing at the next level due to his pure talent. The hosts note that Lance could potentially be a solution for teams like the Denver Broncos and the New York Jets, both of whom are in need of a quarterback.
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Instead, the only requirement to be eligible for the draft is to be three years removed from high school. Top NFL Draft prospects often declare for the draft with college eligibility remaining. Players may leave school after their junior season or, in some cases, after their redshirt sophomore campaign.
However, red-shirted sophomores can make themselves suitable to enter the NFL Draft. This is because they have attended college for five years. Moreover, there is also no minimum age limit to become draft-eligible. Nonetheless, it is no easy task to qualify for the draft as only 200 are selected by NFL teams.
The NFL’s current rules require players to be three years removed from high school to be eligible for the NFL Draft. "They can be drafted after their freshman year. They can be drafted after their sophomore year, their junior year, their senior year," he said via the Detroit Free Press.
Each college may let up to five underclassmen declare themselves eligible for the draft before graduating without asking for permission from the league. These players can ask for an NFL draft grade, where the league tells the player which round he can expect to be drafted in.