Underclassman deadline passes; no new names added … The deadline for underclassmen wishing to enter the 2019 draft to file paperwork with the NFL in order to be eligible to be selected this coming April passed at midnight last night with no major new announcements. Our unofficial list has a record 138 juniors and redshirt sophomores who have indicated in one way or another that they have applied for eligibility to this year’s draft. That compared with a comparable number of 117 last year. Meanwhile, those underclassmen who did apply to the league for early entry to this year’s draft have a 72-hour window to withdraw their applications if they have not signed with an agent or otherwise received any inappropriate benefits. Once that grace period ends, the NFL will announce the final list of underclassmen eligible for the upcoming draft. Because the GBN list includes all players with college eligibility left who indicated they will be entering the draft some of whom the NFL does not actually require they formally apply for draft eligibility, the final list will be somewhat smaller. Last year, the final NFL tally of underclassmen in the 2018 draft was 106, the first time ever the figure was over 100 so figure there will new record this year.
