NFL to Allow Underclassmen to Play in College All-Star Games
The NFL has announced a massive change to college all-star games that could have a huge impact on the pre-draft process.
Starting this year, underclassmen prospects will be eligible to participate in the games, rather than just seniors, the league announced Wednesday.
The Senior Bowl, East-West Shrine Game, and HBCU Legacy Bowl are the three events that will now be allowed to invite underclassmen to participate, per the league's memo announcing the move (via NFL Network's Tom Pelissero).
Every year, the all-star events give senior prospects an opportunity to compete against one another through a week of practice with NFL coaching, as well as a game at the end of the week. Many of the top prospects in every draft class are underclassmen, though, and have always been excluded from participation.
That all changes now, which means top prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft class like USC quarterback Caleb Williams, North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and others will be eligible to take part in these games.
