Top College Football Stars Declaring for NFL Draft Early: Stay Updated on Their Announcements

Now that the 2023 college football regular season has come to a close (with the exception of the Army-Navy game on Dec. 9), the focus for many players shifts to the 2024 NFL Draft. The big question is which prospects will opt out of their team’s bowl game and who has already made the decision to enter the draft pool?

We will be monitoring all the key developments leading up to Jan. 15, the deadline for underclassmen to submit their names for the 2024 draft.

Nov. 21: Illinois DT Jer’Zhan Newton and teammate Keith Randolph Jr. plan to enter the draft

Newton ranks No. 21 on Dane Brugler’s latest NFL Draft Big Board and is one of just two defensive tackles in the top 50 (Clemson’s Ruke Orhorhoro is the other). He finished his college career with 18.0 sacks, 27.5 tackles for loss, and 187 tackles over four seasons. Randolph, with junior eligibility despite playing for the Illini since 2019, had 13.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks during a breakout 2022 season.

Newton’s time at Illinois showcased dominant stretches. There’s not another DT in the 2024 class with more violent hands than Newton (6 feet 2, 295 pounds), who has the power and twitch off the snap to toss just about any lineman he encounters. He plays with great burst and leverage in the run-and-pass game, and his punch can put even a well-based lineman on his heels.

An effective running back in high school, Newton accumulated 103 pressures in the last two seasons. Despite length and size concerns, he’ll receive plenty of first-round grades as a pocket pusher.

Randolph, a 6-foot-3, 297-pound DT, was very effective on a terrific Illini defense in 2022 (32 pressures and 26 hurries). He faded in 2023, though, dropping to just 13 pressures in 10 appearances (he missed two games with an ankle injury). Randolph shows active hands and, like Newton, plays hard. However, he can play tall and lose power quickly. — Nick Baumgardner

Nov. 20: Sleeper Yale OT Kiran Amegadjie declares

Though technically not an “early entrant” because Yale lists him as a senior, Amegadjie did have eligibility left. The 6-foot-5, 326-pound lineman suffered a season-ending quad injury in mid-October. The Senior Bowl’s Jim Nagy called him “the only sub-FBS player our staff felt could legitimately get drafted on Day 2 this year.”

In many ways, Amegadjie is exactly the type of developmental tackle all 32 NFL teams are looking for. He is extremely long (36 3/4-inch arms) with above-average feet and movements to reach his landmarks and handle space. After focusing on basketball for most of his life, he is still learning aspects of the position, but his coachability and football character are outstanding.

Amegadjie was receiving Day 2 draft grades from NFL scouts this fall, but his season-ending injury put his draft projection in limbo. We’ll know more after combine medical checks. — Dane Brugler

(Photo of Jer’Zhan Newton: Zach Bolinger / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)