The National Football League announced today the names of 74 players who have been granted special eligibility for the 2015 NFL Draft and 10 players who have graduated with college football eligibility remaining and are also eligible for selection in the April 30-May 2 draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago.
The following 10 players have in timely fashion under NFL rules officially notified the league office that they have graduated. Consequently, they are eligible for selection in the 2015 Draft:
1 | Deion Barnes | DE | Penn State |
2 | Sammie Coates | WR | Auburn |
3 | Zach D'Orazio | WR | Akron |
4 | Charles Gaines | DB | Louisville |
5 | Dee Hart | RB | Colorado State |
6 | Brett Hundley | QB | UCLA |
7 | Nigel King | WR | Kansas |
8 | Marcus Mariota | QB | Oregon |
9 | Donovan Smith | T | Penn State |
10 | Tacoi Sumler | WR | Appalachian State |
Each of the 74 players granted special eligibility has met the league's three-year eligibility rule and each has submitted a written application in which he renounced his remaining college football eligibility. The deadline for receiving applications was January 15.
The 74 players granted special eligibility is a 24.5 percent decrease from the 2014 total of 98 and represents the first time the number has dropped from the preceding year since 2009.
The players granted special eligibility for the 2015 NFL Draft:
Player | Pos. | College | |
1 | Nelson Agholor | WR | Southern California |
2 | Jay Ajayi | RB | Boise State |
3 | Kwon Alexander | LB | Louisiana State |
4 | Javorius Allen | RB | Southern California |
5 | Arik Armstead | DE | Oregon |
6 | Malcom Brown | DT | Texas |
7 | Alex Carter | DB | Stanford |
8 | B.J. Catalon | RB | Texas Christian |
9 | Tevin Coleman | RB | Indiana |
10 | Jalen Collins | DB | Louisiana State |
11 | Landon Collins | DB | Alabama |
12 | Amari Cooper | WR | Alabama |
13 | Xavier Cooper | DT | Washington State |
14 | Christian Covington | DT | Rice |
15 | DaVaris Daniels | WR | Notre Dame |
16 | Ronald Darby | DB | Florida State |
17 | Mike Davis | RB | South Carolina |
18 | Stefon Diggs | WR | Maryland |
19 | Lorenzo Doss | DB | Tulane |
20 | Mario Edwards | DE | Florida State |
21 | Durell Eskridge | DB | Syracuse |
22 | George Farmer | WR | Southern California |
23 | Max Flores | LB | Northern Colorado |
24 | Ereck Flowers | T | Miami |
25 | Dante Fowler | DE | Florida |
26 | Devin Funchess | WR | Michigan |
27 | Jacoby Glenn | DB | Central Florida |
28 | Eddie Goldman | DT | Florida State |
29 | Melvin Gordon | RB | Wisconsin |
30 | Dorial Green-Beckham | WR | Missouri |
31 | Deontay Greenberry | WR | Houston |
32 | Randy Gregory | DE | Nebraska |
33 | Todd Gurley | RB | Georgia |
34 | Chris Hackett | DB | Texas Christian |
35 | Eli Harold | DE | Virginia |
36 | Chris Harper | WR | California |
37 | Braylon Heard | RB | Kentucky |
38 | Gerod Holliman | DB | Louisville |
39 | D.J. Humphries | T | Florida |
40 | Danielle Hunter | DE | Louisiana State |
41 | David Irving | DT | Iowa State |
42 | Jesse James | TE | Penn State |
43 | Duke Johnson | RB | Miami |
44 | Matt Jones | RB | Florida |
45 | Tyler Kroft | TE | Rutgers |
46 | Ellis McCarthy | DT | UCLA |
47 | Benardrick McKinney | LB | Mississippi State |
48 | Patrick Miller | T | Auburn |
49 | Tyler Moore | G | Florida |
50 | Rakeem Nunez-Roches | DT | Southern Mississippi |
51 | Andrus Peat | T | Stanford |
52 | Breshad Perriman | WR | Central Florida |
53 | Marcus Peters | DB | Washington |
54 | Jordan Phillips | DT | Oklahoma |
55 | Darius Philon | DT | Arkansas |
56 | Bradley Pinion | P | Clemson |
57 | Jaquel Pitts | WR | Trinity International |
58 | Jeremiah Poutasi | T | Utah |
59 | Darien Rankin | LB | North Carolina |
60 | Shane Ray | DE | Missouri |
61 | Josh Robinson | RB | Mississippi State |
62 | James Sample | DB | Louisville |
63 | Jean Sifrin | TE | Massachusetts |
64 | Jaelen Strong | WR | Arizona State |
65 | Shaq Thompson | LB | Washington |
66 | Max Valles | LB | Virginia |
67 | Easton Wahlstrom | LS | Arizona State |
68 | Trae Waynes | DB | Michigan State |
69 | Leonard Williams | DE | Southern California |
70 | Maxx Williams | TE | Minnesota |
71 | P.J. Williams | DB | Florida State |
72 | Trey Williams | RB | Texas A&M |
73 | Jameis Winston | QB | Florida State |
74 | T.J. Yeldon | RB | Alabama |
The NFL Draft will kick off in primetime for the sixth consecutive year. The first round will be held on Thursday, April 30. The second and third rounds are set for Friday, May 1. Rounds four through seven will be held on Saturday, May 2.
The players granted special eligibility for the NFL Draft the past 10 years:
Year | Players Granted Special Eligibility | * | Year | Players Granted Special Eligibility* |
2015 | 74 | 2010 | 53 | |
2014 | 98 | 2009 | 46 | |
2013 | 73 | 2008 | 53 | |
2012 | 65 | 2007 | 40 | |
2011 | 56 | 2006 | 52 |