2024 NFL Draft: Major change coming to All-Star games this year

The 2024 NFL Draft all-star game circuit will look very different this year with the announcement that both the Senior Bowl and Shrine Game will be allowed to invite juniors who declare for the draft to participate.

This is a big change from the traditional senior-ish approach to the all-star games, especially for the Senior Bowl, the premier on-field draft event.

Just in: The NFL sent a memo to all 32 teams today, informing them that all college juniors who declare for the Draft now will be eligible to play in the Shrine Bowl, Senior Bowl or HBCU Legacy Bowl, per sources.

Last year, 69 juniors entered the draft but couldn’t play in an…

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 8, 2023

Traditional NFL draft fans won’t like this change, it’ll result in many of the Day 3 seniors not getting a shot to improve their draft stock during the all-star circuit. It could also lead to more underclassmen declaring for the draft, even if their pre-draft grade would otherwise suggest they shouldn’t.

All-star events like the Senior Bowl allow players to improve their draft stock. Juniors who get a disappointing pre-draft assessment from the NFL advisory committee usually return to school for another season, hoping to elevate their grade. Now, they can use the all-star circuit instead.

Everyone at @seniorbowl is excited about today’s announcement re: all juniors being eligible for our game.

We’ve been building our board with underclassmen in anticipation of this potentially happening.

Looking forward to great 75th Anniversary game!#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™? pic.twitter.com/BKCqzwjCCo

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) November 8, 2023

Call it a hunch, but I think the NFL is making this change in response to NIL deals changing the landscape of college football. The league will soon begin to feel the effects of juniors who are fringe prospects returning to school for a senior-year payday. Now, if those same juniors can increase their chances of being a first-round pick … or even a Day 2 pick … by competing in all-star games, it may push them toward the NFL rather than a senior season.

The Chicago Bears could benefit from this change in the 2024 NFL draft. They’re projected to have two top-10 selections, and blue-chip junior prospects usually make up a good portion of those picks. If GM Ryan Poles and his scouting staff can get an extra look at some of those prospects in an all-star game environment, it will only help strengthen their scouting reports, and, hopefully, minimize mistakes.