Its New Year's Eve. Both Penn State and USC have finished their final games of the season, resulting in a win over Washington and a loss to Ohio State respectively. However, PSU halfback Saquon Barkley, considered a top 10 NFL draft pick by almost all experts, has yet to make it official that he will even enter the draft at all. The same can be said of USC quarterback Sam Darnold, who is a unanimously considered one of the top two prospects in the upcoming NFL draft. So it begs the question, if it is so obvious that you will be drafted and nearly every team on the board would be glad to have you fall to them, why wouldn't you just declare for the draft and (supposedly) begin your career as a paid football player? More goes into this decision than the naked eye might see.
The first reason a player might be hesitant to declare for the draft is a simple one, but one that really only applies for a player who is locked in to a top spot in the draft, this year, it only applies to Darnold and UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen, the consensus top 2 picks. The reason being that the player simply does not want to play for the team that has the draft pick he is locked into. For instance it seems likely that Rosen would be the first pick and go to the Cleveland Browns, who just finished a dismal 0-16 season, only the second in NFL history. He might be the first pick, and worthy of it, but can he really turn an 0-16 team into a contender or even a playoff team anytime soon? Nope. Its unrealistic and Rosen knows it, going out of his way to make it known that he is considering returning to UCLA for another season in hopes that Cleveland doesn't have his pick next time around. Although he has been much quieter about the matter, you have to figure that Darnold feels the same way. Who wants to play for Cleveland? It seems like a reasonable dilemma.
Another reason that a player might think twice before entering the draft for is if they feel that they still owe something to their college team. This year, Saquon Barkley might fall in to that category, and Josh Allen, a Wyoming quarterback who thought strongly about declaring last year, returned to school for another year for this same reason. Barkley was a member of the Penn State squad last year, the best team they've fielded in recent memory, but they were one of the first two teams to miss the CFB playoff and a shot at a championship. Then again this year, Barkley and company fell just short of the playoff, this time settling for the 9th rank and a trip to the Fiesta Bowl. Barkley noted after his team won that Fiesta Bowl, defeating Jake Browning and 12th ranked Washington, that he was "still far" from his decision, and that he still wanted "to win one" for Head Coach James Franklin. Although athletes often say things they don't really mean, listening to Barkley and the disappointment in his voice that he was again unable to play for a shot at a title, and you have to think he'll legitimately think about coming back one more year as a senior.
The final and most common reason for a student-athlete feeling hesitant about moving on to the NFL is he simple doesn't think he is ready for it. There are multiple reasons within here, as physical or behavioral maturity could be a factor, and some would prefer to finish out college from an academic standpoint. Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield stated that he would stay at OU for another season to mature himself for the NFL. Washington's Vita Vea, NC State's Bradley Chubb, Alabama's Bo Scarborough, Oklahoma State's James Washington and Mason Rudolph, and Oregon's Royce Freeman all stayed for this season for these reasons and others, Scarborough staying at 'Bama to nurse a broken leg and ready himself for an attempt at an NFL career, and James Washington returned to Oklahoma State to become more physically ready for a run at success in the big show.
Expect decisions from Barkley, Darnold, Allen, Rosen, and the others in the days following their teams final game, and prepare to see many of the NCAA's best return for another go around in college football.
