Number of NFL Draft early entrants continues to decline in NIL era
Notre Dame and Ohio State players haven't declared yet, but just 70 players have entered the 2025 NFL Draft early so far
It’s very clear that football players’ ability to make money in college means fewer underclassmen are declaring early for the NFL Draft.
The NFL released the almost-official list of underclassmen eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft on Tuesday. Ahead of Monday’s College Football Playoff national championship game between Notre Dame and Ohio State, 70 players declared early for the draft.
That number will grow by Jan. 24. That’s the deadline for Notre Dame and Ohio State players to declare early for the draft. The declaration deadline for anyone not playing in the national title game was Jan. 15. Ohio State tackle Josh Simmons has already declared for the draft after suffering an injury earlier this season.
The list of players declaring early this year isn't much of a surprise and includes the top two Heisman finalists. Colorado DB/WR Travis Hunter is expected to be a top-five pick after winning the Heisman and Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty could also be a first-round pick. Both players were juniors in 2024.
The top two quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward, were both seniors in 2024. The only QBs entering the 2025 NFL Draft with eligibility remaining are Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Texas' Quinn Ewers.
In 2021, the last football year before players could earn money via name, image and likeness payments, 130 underclassmen declared for the draft. The following year, 73 players declared early.
More than three underclassmen from both national title game teams will declare early in the days after the game, but the total number of early entrants will still be far lower than it was before NIL. In the four seasons before NIL payments were allowed, the lowest number of early entrants was 99.
Here’s a not-quite-complete list of the players who have declared early.
2025 NFL Draft early entrants
RB LeQuint Allen, Syracuse
TE Elijah Arroyo, Miami
WR Elic Ayomanor, Stanford
T Kelvin Banks, Texas
LB Stone Blanton, Mississippi State
RB Jaydon Blue, Texas
WR Isaiah Bond, Texas
G Tyler Booker, Alabama
WR Luther Burden, Missouri
LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
T Will Campbell, LSU
DE Abdul Carter, Penn State
T Josh Conerly, Oregon
DB Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
RB Trevor Etienne, Georgia
QB Quinn Ewers, Texas
G Dylan Fairchild, Georgia
TE Harold Fannie, Bowling green
DT Joshua Farmer, Florida State
TE Thomas Fidone, Nebraska
TE Oronde Gadsden, Syracuse
RB DJ Giddens, Kansas State
WR Matthew Golden, Texas
RB Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State
DT Mason Graham, Michigan
DT Kenneth Grant, Michigan
DE Mike Green, Marshall
DB Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
RB Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
DT Derrick Harmon, Oregon
DB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado
DT Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Georgia
RB Jordan James, Oregon
LB Shemar James, Florida
RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
RB Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
DB Will Johnson, Michigan
T Emery Jones, LSU
C Drew Kendall, Boston College
LB Kobe King, Penn State
TE Colston Loveland, Michigan
LB Nick Martin, Oklahoma State
RB Damien Martinez, Miami
G Marcus Mbow, Purdue
WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
T Armand Membou, Missouri
WR Tristan Michaud, South Dakota
QB Jalen Milroe, Alabama
DT Walter Nolen, Ole Miss
DB Jacob Parrish, Kansas State
LB Chris Paul, Ole Miss
DE James Pearce, Tennessee
DT Jordan Phillips, Maryland
RB Dylan Sampson, Tennessee
DT TJ Sanders, South Carolina
T Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona
LB Carson Schwesinger, UCLA
DE Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
T Josh Simmons, Ohio State
DB Malaki Starks, Georgia
DE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
TE Mason Taylor, LSU
DB Azareye’h Thomas, Florida State
DB Malik Verdon, Iowa State
DT Deone Walker, Kentucky
LB Jalon Walker, Georgia
T Cameron Williams, Texas
DE Mykel Williams, Georgia
C Jared Wilson, Georgia
DB Kevin Winston, Penn State
