82 underclassmen officially eligible for 2023 NFL draft

Just over 80 players have officially declared to enter the 2023 draft early.

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.

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 the draft from the NFL.

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)