USA TODAY International Edition
Undrafted players should be allowed to return to college
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The NFL draft arrived Thursday night. Some expected names will be called over three days. Some won’t. Disappointment will reign, especially for the poor soul who is the last man standing in the green room, where the top- shelf prospects are sequestered until their name is called.
But the real disappointment comes Saturday. When players who figured they would be coveted prizes instead fall into the sixth or seventh rounds, the hinterlands of the draft, or, even worse, not selected at all.
The bypassed players soon enough are scooped up and signed as free agents, eager to show all 32 franchises their mistake. They are signed for a pittance of what the high draftees make, but what is their alternative? The Canadian Football League? Take up bobsledding?
But I offer a proposal that gives the forlorn another option: another year of college football.
That’s right. College football. Why are undrafted players prohibited from returning to campus teams? Why shouldn’t a player with eligibility remaining be allowed to return to college football?
Since non- seniors first were allowed to enter the NFL draft almost four decades ago, the NCAA and the NFL have been back- scratching partners, to the detriment of the players.
The NCAA bans players once they stay in the draft pool past the cutoff date. The NFL stays off college football’s broadcasting turf and essentially allows universities to promote themselves as pro football development squads.
But what’s in it for the player? Why are baseball players allowed to return to school with eligibility after going through the draft process, but football players and basketball players are not?
The NCAA should allow players to return to college football, unless they sign a contract with a franchise. Not even signing with an agent should prevent their return; who on a college campus doesn’t have an agent in these name, image and likeness days?
I trotted out this idea a few years ago, and coaches were not thrilled. They figured it could cause roster chaos. When a Jeremiah Hall ( Oklahoma fullback) or a Kolby Harvell- Peel ( Oklahoma State safety) declare for the draft, coaches begin the process of replacing them, on the depth chart and with scholarship availability. Their return four months later would cause some upheaval.
But that was then. That’s all we have now, chaos and roster upheaval, courtesy of the transfer portal’s immediate eligibility rule, which shuffles rosters multiple times per year.
Players far less impactful than Hall or Harvell- Peel are welcomed to campus in January and June, and coaches make it work. They get paid enough money, they ought to have a few headaches.
Oklahoman Kelli Masters is a longtime NFL players agent and was relatively stumped Wednesday when I asked her the possible ramifications of such a change.
She immediately thought of players it could benefit. Players who were injured while training for the NFL combine. Players who were misled by family members or agents on their prospective draft status. Players who have a change of heart after a few months of experi
encing the realities of professionalism.
“I’ll say this, I’ve seen players who declared early, then have gone undrafted, and probably wish they could come back,” Masters said.
I know, I know. The NFL wouldn’t like it. Wouldn’t like it one bit. The NFL enjoys virtually untethered advantages. Now, anyone drafted signs. They have little choice.
Not so in baseball, where signability has become the catchword in drafting. Players move up and down the draft board based on franchises’ estimates on how easy the players will be to sign.
That could impact the NFL draft. If a team is deciding between a Boise State linebacker and a Michigan State linebacker, the choice could come down to which one is out of college eligibility. And what’s wrong with that?
If such a rule means more players stay in college, what is the downside? More players get closer to their degrees or graduate. Players get a second bite at the draft apple.
Masters said she’s already seen a slight pushback in the longtime wave of players clamoring to reach the NFL.
The NIL development, which allows players to make money, and in some cases big money, is keeping some players in college longer. Masters referenced University of Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder, who has said NIL kept him at UC for the 2021 season, and Ridder led the Bearcats to the College Football Playoff.
If draft- declared players were allowed to return to college, they probably would simultaneously place their name in the transfer portal. If they chose to return to college, and no scholarship was available at their previous school, or the coach washed his hands of the chaos, all kinds of schools still would be interested.
For example, last April, neither Oklahoma offensive tackle Adrian Ealy nor Oklahoma State flanker Dillon Stoner were drafted. They quickly signed free agent contracts.
And maybe that’s what they would have done anyway.
Stoner signed with the Las Vegas Raiders and got $ 120,000 guaranteed. Stoner was waived just before the season but signed immediately to the Raiders practice squad. He was activated to the Raider roster in November and played in six games but didn’t make a catch. He has signed a reserve/ future contract with the Raiders, but nothing is guaranteed.
Stoner’s story is rock- of- ages stability compared to that of Ealy, who signed a free agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens. Ealy didn’t make their roster but was placed on the practice squad. He was suspended in October after violating the performance- enhancing substance abuse policy. The Denver Broncos signed Ealy to their practice squad in late November. He was released two weeks later. The Los Angeles Rams signed Ealy to their practice squad in mid- December but released him four days later. The Ravens brought back Ealy to their practice squad two days before Christmas and released him two days after. The Green Bay Packers signed Ealy to their practice squad and kept him 13 days. Finally, on Feb. 11, the Rams signed Ealy to a reserve/ future contract. But nothing is guaranteed.
After that odyssey, another season of blocking for the Sooners seems incredibly appealing.
Change the rule, NCAA. Give players a chance to come back.