Les Miles Says Some Freshmen Could Be Ready to Declare for NFL Draft

The play of LSU Tigers sophomore sensation Leonard Fournette has put a spotlight on the NFL draft's eligibility rules, which require college athletes to be at least three years removed from high school before they can enter.

The 20-year-old running back leads the country with 1,352 yards and 15 touchdowns in seven games, and many consider him to be ready for the NFL despite being ineligible for next year’s draft. 

LSU head coach Les Miles doesn’t necessarily disagree with that sentiment, saying Thursday during a teleconference, per SEC Country's Matt Barbato, that some players possess the athletic ability to advance early, though it’s highly uncommon.

"I think that there’s probably guys that could enter the draft just like basketball, one and out," he said. "I think there’s a style of athlete that can do that. But I think they’re rare because in football, with maturity and strength, it really adds to their worth in what is the next level and the next league."

Miles added that even a prospective player of Fournette's caliber can still benefit greatly from a sustained college career:

"

I think if you found those guys that leave early, most of them they either came from major programs or they’re guys that become with a discipline and a structure that was given to them, whether it’s home or their high school or some place else. I think college, for the most part football, gives a young player that needs to develop that opportunity.

"

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton also discussed the prospect of players leaving earlier than allowed, echoing most of Miles’ comments, per Christopher Dabe of the Times-Picayune:

"I don't think it's necessarily age related or age biased," Payton said. "It's that the percentages are less, and that gradually goes up the further you're educated and the longer you're in school physically and mentally. That's how I feel about that.”

The NBA allows players to enter its draft one year removed from high school. John Walters of Newsweek went as far to call the NFL's three-year draft rule “un-American” earlier this month. 

But given the physical rigors of football, rarely does an argument such as Walters' surface—only when a player of Fournette’s caliber captivates the country. South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney (2012) and San Diego State’s Marshall Faulk (1993) are among the few who come to mind.

Despite being the center of dispute, albeit indirectly, Fournette indicated he has no interest in leaving LSU early:

Fournette's phenomenal start, coupled with LSU's emergence as a College Football Playoff contender, has made him the Heisman Trophy front-runner. The No. 4 Tigers are off this weekend and will return for a colossal Week 10 road matchup against the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide.