College football has faced changes in recent seasons, which has changed the composition of draft classes. The most obvious factor altering recent classes is that the 2020 college football season didn’t count against student-athletes’ eligibility, allowing players to pick up fifth and sixth seasons in the NCAA. The other influence potential draft prospects are dealing with is the NCAA’s name, image and likeness (NIL) policy, passed in 2021, which allows student-athletes to make money via “sponsorships” while maintaining their amateur status.
Due to those two reasons, the 2022 through 2024 drafts — the first three drafts since NIL was passed — have been flooded with more players with significant playing time under their belts and fewer underclassmen declaring.