Teams Who Dodged Bullets As Underclassmen Declared For NFL Draft

Plenty of schools have been devastated by underclassmen who declared for the 2017 NFL Draft. This group, however, dodged bullets when draft-eligible stars chose to return to school for another season.

National Signing Day won’t happen for another couple of weeks. National Staying Day, though, has just passed in college football. The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2017 NFL Draft was January 16, and these schools caught a break when their most talented draft-eligible players chose to return to school rather than turn pro early.

10. Boston College

As Steve Addazio looks for the school’s first eight-win season since 2009, the Eagles are in no position to lose their best players before they fully ripen. And that’s why Boston College was so ecstatic to learn that menacing DE Harold Landry was skipping the NFL Draft until 2018. Pro scouts covet Landry, but he covets getting his degree and finishing what he started on the Heights. He bagged 16.5 sacks in 2016, which not only led the nation, but also set the single-season school record.

9. NC State

There’s plenty of excitement in Raleigh entering 2017, with a handful of key returners back to bolster both sides of the ball for Dave Doeren. Yes, leading tackler Josh Jones decided to turn pro early. But the team’s best pass rusher, DE Bradley Chubb, and multi-dimensional TE Jaylen Samuels will play as seniors. Chubb had 22 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in 2016, while Samuels caught three touchdown passes in the Pack’s Independence Bowl blowout of Vanderbilt.

8. Michigan

It’s going to be a busy offseason in Ann Arbor, especially after Jabrill Peppers elected to forego his remaining eligibility as a Wolverine. But the situation could have been far direr had other teammates followed Peppers to the next level. Both lines will be dealing with extensive attrition, so it’s going to help getting C Mason Cole and DT Maurice Hurst back on the interior. Plus, FB Khalid Hill and LB Mike McCray, who had 13 tackles for loss in 2016, will take advantage of their final season of eligibility at Michigan.

7. Auburn

Sure, All-SEC DE Carl Lawson leaves a hole on defense that won’t easily be filled this fall. But the Tigers weren’t terribly surprised that he left following his breakthrough junior season. The program is focusing instead on the players who elected to return to school, such as RB Kamryn Pettway, hard-hitting SS Tray Matthews and all-star G Braden Smith. Auburn is eager to ride Pettway, who didn’t carry the ball in the opener and missed three full games, yet still finished No. 5 in the SEC with 1,224 yards and seven touchdowns on 209 carries.

6. Virginia

LB Micah Kiser and FS Quin Blanding are returning for their senior seasons. Head coach Bronco Mendenhall could not ask for a better catapult into his second season in Charlottesville. Kiser and Blanding are easily the Cavaliers’ top two performers, the program’s only players to earn First Team All-ACC a season ago. With their leadership and defensive prowess, Virginia hopes to rebound from a 2-10 season and contend for its first bowl game in six years.

5. Notre Dame

Irish OT Mike McGlinchey and OG Quenton Nelson are going to play a lot of years in the NFL. But they won’t begin those careers until at least 2018. Both linemen are remaining in school this fall, a relief for a struggling program that couldn’t afford any more roster hits. If Brian Kelly and Notre Dame are going to rebound from last year’s four-win disappointment, the team must create the right environment for untested QB Brandon Wimbush to flourish. And protecting him with McGlinchey and Nelson is an important step in the right direction.

4. Washington State

The Cougars caught an enormous break when Luke Falk announced he’d be remaining in Pullman in 2017 for his senior year. Instead of breaking in untested Tyler Hilinski, Mike Leach will lean on one of the nation’s top quarterbacks to engineer his pass-happy system for a final season. Falk returns as the FBS leader in passing yards and touchdown passes, and his comfort within the system means Wazzu can focus more of its offseason attention to shoring up the receiving corps. As an added bonus, massive LG Cody O’Connell is staying put as well.

3. Oklahoma State

QB Mason Rudolph and WR James Washington are NFL-caliber talents right now. But the league will have to wait another year before getting its hands on them. The dynamic pitch-and-catch combo chose to bombard Big 12 secondaries for one final season, which gives the Cowboys a legitimate shot of dethroning rival Oklahoma in this year’s conference title chase. Rudolph and Washington have collaborated on 18 touchdowns and 22 victories, and their ability to stretch defenses helps open up the field for RB Justice Hill and WR Jalen McCleskey.

2. Georgia

Big things will be expected from the Dawgs this season. Not only are coach Kirby Smart and QB Jacob Eason entering their second seasons in Athens, but running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, linebackers Davin Bellamy and Lorenzo Carter and S Dominick Sanders are also joining them. Georgia is loaded on D for Smart, one of the better defensive minds in the game. The decisions of Chubb and Michel were surprises, since the shelf life of an NFL running back is typically short. The Dawgs did lose their best receiver, Isaiah McKenzie, whose decision caught the locals off guard.

1. Oklahoma

Sure, the Sooners lost backs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon to the draft, leaving a gaping void in the running game. But it could have been much, much worse. They could have been without linchpin QB Baker Mayfield … or All-American LT Orlando Brown … or All-Big 12 CB Jordan Thomas … or edge rusher Ogbonnia Okoronkwo. Oklahoma could very well have been gashed by early entries this month. Instead, the team welcomes back the foundation of a program talented and experienced enough to win a third consecutive league crown.

MORE: Teams Reeling From Early NFL Draft Departures