College Draft Requirements

There are specific requirements for amateur athletes who wish to qualify for a professional sports draft. In addition to free agency and trades, college drafts are a major way that teams improve, so fans are often very excited about acquiring new players with considerable potential. Each sport's college draft has its own rules and requirements.

  1. NFL Draft Requirements

    • The NFL Draft is held every year around the third weekend of April and recently has become a prime-time event. Players are eligible for the NFL Draft after being out of high school for three years, though players are not required to play for or attend college. Once a player is drafted into the NFL, players are not required to sign with the drafting team, though, if they decline, they will have to sit out the year and re-enter the draft the next year.

    MLB Draft Requirements

    • The Major League Baseball draft is held every June. Players are eligible for the draft if they are U.S. residents or citizens of Puerto Rico, other U.S. territories, or Canada. Only college players in their junior or senior years, unless over the age of 21, are allowed to leave early for the MLB, but junior college players, regardless of age, are eligible to enter at any time. If a player is not signed by August 15, that player can re-enter later drafts.

    NBA Draft Requirements

    • Known as "the lottery" because of its unique structure, the National Basketball Association's draft is held in June. Teams that missed the playoffs the year before are allowed to enter the lottery, which does not guarantee that the worst team will draft with the first overall selection. Since 2005, NBA players have had to be 19 years old or at least one year out of high school to be drafted, which has led many players to play abroad or continue with college basketball.