The deadline for underclassmen to declare eligibility for the 2024 NFL draft has come and gone. So too has the time for extraneous decisions and late applications to enter this year’s draft.
In past years, the number of early entrants often approached 100, even topping that figure in some select years. This year’s tally is just 54 players who were granted early eligibility for the draft. That’s down from 63 in 2023.
There are several factors as to why the number has dropped. The extra year of eligibility from the COVID-19 pandemic created more of a glut of older players, and that might have scared off some of the more marginal prospects from declaring. NIL money flowing in might have made a difference as well, especially with some of the more prominent players who returned to college.
Four other players who were listed as underclassmen fulfilled their graduation requirements and were granted eligibility. That group includes Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry and Miami safety Kamren Kinchens, both likely first-rounder. They’re not technically included as underclassmen.
From Andrew Groover of the AP, here is the full list of 54:
