The NFL Draft this past spring saw a record number of underclassmen declare to be eligible to be drafted. More often than not, underclassmen were left at the mercy of the undrafted free agent pool. A rising number of underclassmen leaving school early for a shot at the NFL has been a growing concern on both sides of the football world, college and pro, and now the NFL is looking to find a way to discourage underclassmen from making a bad decision.
The NFL will cut down on the number of underclassmen who will receive a draft evaluation for a draft. Under the new guidelines, no more than five underclassmen per school will receive an evaluation. A total of 98 underclassmen declared for the 2014 NFL Draft and 37 of those players went undrafted.
According to the Associated Press, Troy Vincent (a former Wisconsin Badger and the NFL’s head of football operations) says underclassmen will be advised on their potential to be drafted in either of the first two rounds of the upcoming draft. Previously players were given a draft evaluation up to three rounds. Players may also be advised to stay in school. That would be a win-win for the NFL and college football if agents do not interfere with the decision-making. Advising players clearly not worthy of an early draft pick to stay in school allows those players an opportunity to get better while playing a key role in the college program. At the same time those players would theoretically become better NFL prospects, capable of making an impact or finding a role on an NFL roster faster.
It is good for the college football product and in turn makes for a better NFL product.