To enter the NFL Draft, players must be three years removed from high school or exhausted their collegiate eligibility. However, underclassmen and players who have graduated before using all of their eligibility can request to enter the draft early. When are those deadlines?
Underclassmen Deadlines for the 2025 NFL Draft
The traditional hard deadline for early NFL Draft declarations is Jan. 15. However, due to the expanded College Football Playoff, the league added two other timeframes.
A “soft” window ends on Jan. 6 for players whose seasons ended prior to that date. But prospects competing in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 20 will have until Jan. 24 to petition for special eligibility.
NFL teams will receive a list of names the day after each deadline, although early entrants will have an additional 72 hours to revoke their submissions.
The official deadline to opt out of the 2025 NFL Draft is Feb. 7.
Thus, players who have declared for the draft but are currently exploring the transfer portal, such as Georgia Bulldogs QB Carson Beck, have just under a month to make a decision on where they’ll play in 2025.
MORE: 2025 NFL Draft Underclassmen Tracker
According to SB Nation, from 2011 to 2021, the number of early entries steadily increased year over year. However, the numbers have since fallen through the floor, resulting in just 58 early entrants in the 2024 NFL Draft — the fewest in 13 years.
The NCAA’s decision to extend an extra year of eligibility to players impacted by the 2020 COVID pandemic and the rise of name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals have likely played the biggest roles, with players 1) able to play another year, and 2) can get paid to do so.
College Football Network has you covered with the latest from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and every Group of Five conference and FBS Independent program.