Every year, dozens of underclassmen declare for the draft. As that number increases, annually pushing 100, it’s inevitable some players get drafted late, if they’re selected at all. From an outsider view, it’s easy to criticize the junior who leaves early only to hear his name called late on Day Three.
But for those who’ve had to make that decision, it’s a lot more complicated than a binary, drafted late so it was a bad idea notion. Former Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receiver Demarcus Ayers knows that well. He’s one of those stories, leaving Houston a year early to become the Steelers’ 7th round selection in 2016.