Bret Bielema wonders if undrafted underclassmen should get to return
Should underclassmen who declare for the NFL draft but go undrafted get an opportunity to go back to school?
It's a question that Arkansas coach Bret Bielema is thinking about. Arkansas guard Denver Kirkland declared for the 2016 NFL draft but wasn't selected in any of the seven rounds. He's signed as an undrafted free agent with the Oakland Raiders, but is in a much more tenuous spot with the team than he'd be had he been a draft pick.
Bielema openly talked about Kirkland's predicament and the idea that underclassmen who declare but aren't selected should get an opportunity to come back to school and raise their draft stock on Sports Talk with Bo Mattingly on KQSM in Arkansas on Monday. He said that he's contacting other coaches who had players in Kirkland's situation to see if there's something that can be pitched.
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"I reached out, I haven’t touched base with [Auburn coach Gus Malzahn] yet — Gus had two [underclassmen] that didn’t go drafted — I think [Dan Mullen] did as well at Mississippi State," Bielema said. "I know Ohio State had a couple as well. So those coaches, I’m reaching out to them and trying to put together some collective thoughts on how to approach it ... Now I think there’s some kids that had to move on. Maybe it’s academic reasons, or personal reasons or everyone’s got their own story. But if you’ve got a guy like Denver who’s on progression to graduate, he’s doing all the right things, and he just needs another year."
The NFL draft declaration deadline for underclassmen is in January, not long after the College Football Playoff concludes. Coaches like Nick Saban have referenced the short timeline for non-seniors to submit for grades from the NFL draft council and perhaps Bielema's idea could be incorporated into a pushback of the deadline.
Or maybe the NFL draft process can take a lesson from the NBA one. College basketball players now have the ability to declare for the draft and come back to school after the NBA combine as long as they don't sign with an agent. Having a similar process in place for football players could help players make better decisions for their professional and financial futures. How could the NCAA argue against better chances of success?
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
