82 underclassmen officially eligible for 2023 NFL Draft

Nick Bromberg

Just over 80 underclassmen are officially entered in the 2023 NFL Draft pool.

The NFL released its annual list of players who had entered the draft after their third year of eligibility on Friday. Of the 82 players who officially declared, 69 are leaving school early while 13 underclassmen are declaring for the draft after getting their degrees.

The list of 13 includes Alabama LB Will Anderson and Tide QB Bryce Young. Those two players are expected to be selected in the top five on April 27.

The group of 69 early entries includes a lot of potential first-round picks like Florida QB Anthony Richardson, Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer, TCU WR Quentin Johnston and Penn State DB Joey Porter Jr.

The number of players leaving school for the 2023 draft is down from a season ago. A total of 100 players — 73 early entries and 27 graduates — declared for the draft in 2022. And the number of 2022 draft declarations was down from 2021, when 128 players declared for the draft.

Will Anderson (L) and Bryce Young are among the underclassmen eligible for the 2023 NFL Draft. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Will Anderson (L) and Bryce Young are among the underclassmen eligible for the 2023 NFL Draft. (AP Photo/Butch Dill) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Are NIL and the transfer portal a factor?

While three years is hardly enough of a sample size to make sweeping conclusions about the declining number of early draft entries, it is worth wondering if college athletics’ rule changes are playing a significant factor in that decline.

The NCAA has granted players the ability to transfer immediately and make money off their own image rights over the course of the past two years. That has led to players transferring to other schools for more playing time and a better shot at the NFL. And you can’t discount the ability to make more endorsement money at a different school as well.

The NCAA’s loosening of NIL rules allows players who may be on the fringes of making it to the NFL to make significant cash off their likenesses while in college and potentially entice them to stay for another season. There are undoubtedly many players who will make more money via endorsements by playing college football than they would in the NFL next season.

Here’s the complete list of underclassmen who are eligible for this year's NFL Draft.

Underclassmen eligible for 2023 NFL Draft

  • Israel Abanikanda, RB, Pittsburgh

  • Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M

  • Jordan Addison, WR, USC

  • M.J. Anderson, DE, Iowa State

  • Will Anderson, DE, Alabama (graduate)

  • Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, Kansas State

  • Alex Austin, DB, Oregon State

  • Deonte Banks, DB, Maryland

  • Tank Bigsby, RB, Auburn

  • Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU

  • Anthony Bradford, G, LSU

  • Brian Branch, DB, Alabama

  • Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson

  • Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia

  • Gervon Dexter, DT, Florida

  • Demario Douglas, WR, Liberty (graduate)

  • Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina

  • Zach Evans, RB, Mississippi

  • Emmanuel Forbes, DB, Mississippi State

  • Isaiah Foskey, DE, Notre Dame (graduate)

  • Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama

  • Christian Gonzalez, DB, Oregon

  • Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma

  • Nick Herbig, LB, Wisconsin

  • Ronnie Hickman, DB, Ohio State (graduate)

  • Brandon Hill, DB, Pittsburgh

  • Evan Hull, RB, Northwestern (graduate)

  • Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee

  • Rakim Jarrett, WR, Maryland

  • Antonio Johnson, DB, Texas A&M

  • Paris Johnson, OT, Ohio State (graduate)

  • Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU

  • Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia

  • Jaylon Jones, DB, Texas A&M

  • Brandon Joseph, DB, Notre Dame

  • Calijah Kancey, DT, Pittsburgh

  • Tucker Kraft, TE, South Dakota State

  • Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame

  • DeWayne McBride, RB, UAB

  • Warren McClendon, OT, Georgia (graduate)

  • Tanner McKee, QB, Stanford

  • Kendre Miller, RB, TCU

  • Marvin Mims, WR, Oklahoma

  • Cameron Mitchell, DB, Northwestern

  • Keaton Mitchell, RB, East Carolina

  • Mike Morris, DE, Michigan (graduate)

  • Myles Murphy, DE, Clemson

  • Lew Nichols, RB, Central Michigan

  • B.J. Ojulari, DE, LSU

  • J-Min Pelley, DT, Calgary (Canada)

  • Clark Phillips, DB, Utah

  • Joey Porter, DB, Penn State

  • Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida

  • Eli Ricks, DB, Alabama

  • Kelee Ringo, DB, Georgia

  • Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas

  • Jaquelin Roy, DT, LSU

  • Drew Sanders, LB, Arkansas

  • Tyler Scott, WR, Cincinnati

  • Noah Sewell, LB, Oregon

  • Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson (graduate)

  • Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern

  • Cam Smith, DB, South Carolina

  • Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan (graduate)

  • Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State

  • Tyjae Spears, RB, Tulane (graduate)

  • Brenton Strange, TE, Penn State

  • C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State

  • Joseph Tippmann, C, Wisconsin

  • Rashad Torrence, DB, Florida

  • Sean Tucker, RB, Syracuse

  • Tuli Tuipulotu, DE, USC

  • DJ Turner, DB, Michigan (graduate)

  • Carrington Valentine, DB, Kentucky

  • Lukas Van Ness, DE, Iowa

  • Deuce Vaughn, RB, Kansas State

  • Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia

  • Parker Washington, WR, Penn State

  • Garrett Williams, DB, Syracuse

  • Colby Wooden, DE, Auburn

  • Luke Wypler, C, Ohio State

  • Bryce Young, QB, Alabama (graduate)

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