Final List of Declared Underclassmen Released by NFL

by Jaxon on Jan 19, 2012 12:02 PM EST

The NFL prefers to call the juniors 'players granted special eligibility' and there is a total of 65 of them this year. All have been approved by the NFL for possible selection in the April 2012 draft. The full list is after the jump

Here's some stats on the number of 'special' eligibility players over the past ten years:

Year	Players Granted Special Eligibility	Year	Players Granted Special Eligibility
2012	65	2007	40
2011	56	2006	52
2010	53	2005	51
2009	46	2004	43
2008	53	2003	47

So you can see its an up year for underclassmen declaring for the draft. What I would like to see if the percent that actually get drafted and then what percent actually make the final cut. If they made that data available (which maybe they do but I can't find it) there might be a few who elect to stay in school [cough] Darren Thomas..[cough].

The players granted special eligibility for the 2012 NFL Draft:

Player	Pos.	College
Alexander, Alvester	RB	Wyoming
Allen, Dwayne	TE	Clemson
Baker, Edwin	RB	Michigan State
Ball, Mike	RB	Nevada
Berryhill, Jamison	RB	Texas
Blackmon, Justin	WR	Oklahoma State
Brockers, Michael	DT	Louisiana State
Brown, Bryce	RB	Kansas State
Burfict, Vontaze	LB	Arizona State
Charles, Orson	TE	Georgia
Claiborne, Morris	DB	Louisiana State
Cox, Fletcher	DT	Mississippi State
DeCastro, David	G	Stanford
Eure, Tiree	TE	Minnesota
Forston, Marcus	DT	Miami
Gilmore, Stephon	DB	South Carolina
Givens, Chris	WR	Wake Forest
Graham, Dorian	WR	Syracuse
Griffin, Robert	QB	Baylor
Hampton, Jewel	RB	Southern Illinois
Harris, Cliff	DB	Oregon
Hightower, Dont’a	LB	Alabama
Hill, Stephen	WR	Georgia Tech
Hillman, Ronnie	RB	San Diego State
Holloway, Max	DE	Boston College
Hosley, Jayron	DB	Virginia Tech
Jackson, Janzen	DB	McNeese State
James, LaMichael	RB	Oregon
Jeffery, Alshon	WR	South Carolina
Johnson, Aldarius	WR	Miami
Johnson, Damaris	WR	Tulsa
Jones, Chandler	DE	Syracuse
Kalil, Matt	T	Southern California
Kirkpatrick, Dre	DB	Alabama
Konz, Peter	C	Wisconsin
Kuechly, Luke	LB	Boston College
Lewis, Ronnell	DE	Oklahoma
Luck, Andrew	QB	Stanford
Manning, Terrell	LB	North Carolina State
Martin, Jonathan	T	Stanford
Massie, Bobby	T	Mississippi
Mercilus, Whitney	DE	Illinois
Miller, Lamar	RB	Miami
Osweiler, Brock	QB	Arizona State
Page, Eric	WR	Toledo
Paige-Moss, Donte	DE	North Carolina
Perry, Nick	DE	Southern California
Pierce, Bernard	RB	Temple
Plue, Ken	G	Purdue
Poe, Dontari	DT	Memphis
Randle, Rueben	WR	Louisiana State
Reiff, Riley	T	Iowa
Richardson, Trent	RB	Alabama
Robinson, Josh	DB	Central Florida
Sanu, Mohamed	WR	Rutgers
Scott, Darrell	RB	South Florida
Streeter, Tommy	WR	Miami
Thomas, Darron	QB	Oregon
Thomas, Johnny	DB	Oklahoma State
Thomas, Phillip	DB	Syracuse
Trotter, Barrett	QB	Auburn
Vernon, Olivier	DE	Miami
Washington, Brandon	T	Miami
Wilson, David	RB	Virginia Tech
Worthy, Jerel	DT	Michigan State

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Comments

Great info - the rise in numbers doesn't surprise me

Thanks for the list Jaxon, I would love to see those percentages as well. I’ve dug around for them, I’m sure they’re out there.

by PantherPride2011 on Jan 19, 2012 1:47 PM EST via mobile reply actions

I have no problem with juniors declaring early

I do have a problem with those who are projected first or second round talent and turn into complete busts. Last year’s underclassmen who were drafted early and did well include the likes of Cam Newton and AJ Green. I think Nick Fairley was one of those who declared early but underachieved. However, his health was a factor so I won’t come down on him too much. In the end, I like the NFL’s rules for players entering the draft as opposed to the NBA. I still think Kyrie Irving made a huge mistake.

Integrity first. Service before self. Excellence in all you do. -- USAF Core Values

by Disciple of Carolina on Jan 19, 2012 2:17 PM EST reply actions

I thought Irving was playing really well in Cleveland?

by JStewart28 on Jan 19, 2012 3:20 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

That may be

He isn’t helping the Cavs’ record any but my point was he didn’t play that much in college (16games?) and he makes the jump to the pros. I just think all athletes, regardless of sport, should take advantage of their college careers and have a fall back plan in case they are a bust or something.

Integrity first. Service before self. Excellence in all you do. -- USAF Core Values

by Disciple of Carolina on Jan 19, 2012 4:18 PM EST up reply actions

Its their personal choice. I know some players leave early because their family is in financial trouble. I definitely agree that a lot of players would benefit from staying in college longer but its their choice to make.

by JStewart28 on Jan 19, 2012 5:34 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

My thought on players coming out early.

If a player has the buzz to be drafted, I see no reason to stay in school unless they just wish to do so.
It isn’t as if they will not be able to go back to school once their career is over if they become busts.If the players are cut after 2 years, they’ve already cleared over 800k making the minimum salary. They can afford to go back to school if they wish to unless they were totally foolish with their money.

Granted, I’m talking about players who will likely go within the first 3 rounds.
I think the possibility that they could have a serious injury is a good enough reason to consider declaring for the draft, assuming the goal is to play pro ball.
I’d have to look up specifics to be completely sure, but I seem to remember some players who were expected to go high in the draft after their junior year, but they stayed in school, and their draft stock fell after their senior season.

Assuming that a players goal is to play professionally, I don’t see a great deal of reasons to stay in school(this is ignoring other factors, such as wanting to win a national championship, as well as various other possible factors, just focusing on the pro potential).

by Philipkcks on Jan 19, 2012 6:47 PM EST up reply actions

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the number of Juniors entering the NFL correlates with the number of missed tackles..

Ideally, A player stays in college for 4 years and perfects the fundamentals before becoming a professional.

Cam Newton, when a reporter asks him who will win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday: "I'll tell you Sunday."

by Son of a Newton on Jan 19, 2012 6:17 PM EST reply actions

Darron Thomas is kind of a wuss.

He declared early because the other QB on the team was slated to compete with him for the starting job next year. If he can’t handle that, how is he going to handle getting drafted in the 6th and getting cut/being demoted to PS/being 3rd string inactive QB?

"If ya ain't first, you're last."
- Ricky Bobby's Dad

"There is no evidence that the tongue is connected to the brain."
-Frank Tyger

by KaiserBromley on Jan 20, 2012 2:28 AM EST reply actions