Second underclass deadline looming … The 72-hour window of opportunity for underclassmen who applied to the NFL for inclusion in the 2019 draft to withdraw their applications expires at midnight this evening. Juniors and redshirt sophomores who applied to the league for entry to the draft but have neither signed with an agent or accepted any improper benefits are eligible to withdraw their applications. In the past, though, very few players have taken advantage of this opportunity. Once tonight’s deadline passes, the league with release the final list of underclassmen eligible for this year’s draft. Meanwhile, we have added one more player to the list of underclassmen known to have applied to the NFL for early entry to this year’s draft as Minnesota junior DT O.J. Smith has opted to enter the 2019 draft despite receiving a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA last spring. Smith, a transfer from Alabama, played in six games for the Gophers in 2018 before missing the rest of the year with a head injury. While he has decent size at 6-2, 305, Smith has never been very productive and is unlikely to be drafted.
