The field of potential Tampa Bay Buccaneer draft picks grew by a significant amount on Friday.
The NFL has released its annual list of underclassmen who applied for and were granted special availability for the draft, and as usual it includes many of the players widely considered to be the top prospects. It was a long list, too, with 96 players getting special eligibility, the second-biggest group of underclassmen ever to declare for the draft. There were 98 players granted special eligibility in 2014.
The NFL also announced the names of 11 players who have fulfilled their degree requirements early and notified the league of such in order to become eligible for the draft.
Among the underclassmen who declared for the 2016 draft are Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa, Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith, Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey, Mississippi tackle Laremy Tunsil, Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch and Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves. The full list is below; don't be surprised if you hear some of those names again when the Buccaneers are making their picks in April. The underclassmen eligibility list released last January included Jameis Winston and Kwon Alexander, both of whom were drafted by Tampa Bay. In addition, second-round pick Donovan Smith had received his degree, like the 11 above, despite having eligibility left.
A photo timeline of Jameis Winston's rookie year with the Buccaneers.
After a successful collegiate career, Jameis Winston declares for the NFL Draft. He threw for 7,946 yards and 65 touchdowns in two seasons at Florida State, leading his team to the national title in 2013. He was also named the Heisman Trophy winner in 2013.
For the first time since declaring for the NFL Draft, Jameis Winston meets with reporters. He expresses his interest to become a Buccaneer almost immediately. "It would be a privilege to get accepted by the Glazer family in Tampa," he says. "I think it would be a privilege to play in Tampa – period."
Winston takes the field for the NFL Scouting combine. He is particularly impressive, drawing positive reviews from the media. Coaches seem impressed with him in the meeting room, in addition to on the field. "I believe I accomplished what I needed to," Winston says. "I just came here trying to be real, be as genuine as possible."
Winston visits the Buccaneers' facilities. He meets with several members of the Bucs' staff, including Head Coach Lovie Smith and General Manager Jason Licht. "I believe (in) this place," Winston says during his visit. "I would love to be here."
Florida State holds their annual Pro Day. Winston is among the players working out for a slue of pro scouts, including those representing the Buccaneers. "The original plan was that I was going to throw 60 to 75 throws," Winston says. "And then when we started writing it down, I was at (personal coach) George (Whitfield)'s house until like 12 o'clock at night. We were just writing down things and going over things. I was like, 'Man, George, I'm a competitor, let's give them everything.'" Winston ended up throwing 102 passes and his performance is considered by many to be a success.
The Buccaneers coaches, including Offensive Coordinator Dirk Koetter and Quarterbacks Coach Mike Bajakian, fly out to Tallahassee for a private workout with Winston.
With the first overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Buccaneers select Winston. "Winston is undeniably a rare prospect on the basis of his statistics and college record alone, but the Buccaneers also believe he has the drive, work ethic and competitiveness necessary to succeed at one of the most difficult jobs in all of sports," Buccaneers.com Senior Writer Scott Smith writes that night. "The opportunity to draft a quarterback prospect of this caliber comes along very infrequently for any franchise, and the first pick in the draft is an incredibly valuable asset."
Winston arrives at the Buccaneers' facilities for the first time. He signs his contract the same day and, later that afternoon, meets with reporters for the first time as a member of the Bucs. "Earning the job and working and sacrificing your life to be a quarterback for a great franchise like this is my dream," Winston says. "Ever since I've been playing I always wanted to work hard for what I get and I plan on doing that."
Winston takes the practice field for rookie mini-camp, his first practice in a Buccaneer uniform. He arrives early, before the rest of the players, and greets his fellow rookies at the door of the facility.
Winston and the Buccaneers take the field for Organized Team Activities, or OTAs. It's the first time that Winston is able to practice with Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson and the rest of the Buccaneers' veterans.
A day before the start of training camp, Head Coach Lovie Smith names Winston the Buccaneers' starting quarterback. "A lot of things go into that (decision)," Smith said. "We've had a lot of evaluation of him. It's where we feel like he is. We brought him here to be our quarterback and we feel that he's ready to take this next step. We're not game-ready, we're not Tennessee-ready at a lot of positions but he needs to move into that role right now. Again, we all feel good about him going there."
Winston begins his first NFL training camp. The practice is like many training camp practices that summer – humid and rainy. The Buccaneers were forced to practice at the University of South Florida due to the weather.
![The Buccaneers travel to Minnesota for their first preseason game of the year. It is Winston's first game action of his NFL career. He completed nine of 19 passes for 131 yards and an interception in one half of play, while rushing for a score. "What we saw from him, facing a little adversity early on, [he] hung in there," Coach Smith says. "[I] looked into his eyes on the sideline, he was anxious to continue to get reps and as much as anything, the script we had drawn up was for him to finish strong. We feel like he did that."](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/private/t_new_photo_album_2x/t_lazy/f_auto/buccaneers/b050a7j0ey4amfpvmh9p.jpg)
The Buccaneers travel to Minnesota for their first preseason game of the year. It is Winston's first game action of his NFL career. He completed nine of 19 passes for 131 yards and an interception in one half of play, while rushing for a score. "What we saw from him, facing a little adversity early on, [he] hung in there," Coach Smith says. "[I] looked into his eyes on the sideline, he was anxious to continue to get reps and as much as anything, the script we had drawn up was for him to finish strong. We feel like he did that."
Winston makes his NFL debut against the Titans. His first pass is intercepted and returned for a touchdown. He finishes the game completing 16 of 33 passes for 210 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Winston's first touchdown as a pro comes on a five-yard pass to Austin Seferian-Jenkins in the second quarter.
![Winston earns his first NFL win as the Buccaneers top the Saints, 26-19, in New Orleans. He completes 14 of 21 passes for 210 yards with a touchdown in the air and another on the ground. "Jameis did a really good job of hanging in there," Offensive Coordinator Dirk Koetter says. "He made some beautiful throw, he missed some throws. That's just where we are at [with him]. I'm probably going to be saying that for the next [14] games as we go through."](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/private/t_new_photo_album_2x/t_lazy/f_auto/buccaneers/nbm77dhr7yylqdddnior.jpg)
Winston earns his first NFL win as the Buccaneers top the Saints, 26-19, in New Orleans. He completes 14 of 21 passes for 210 yards with a touchdown in the air and another on the ground. "Jameis did a really good job of hanging in there," Offensive Coordinator Dirk Koetter says. "He made some beautiful throw, he missed some throws. That's just where we are at [with him]. I'm probably going to be saying that for the next [14] games as we go through."
Winston throws four interceptions as the Buccaneers fall to the Panthers, 37-23. "Confidence will never be an issue," Winston says following the loss. "I've just got to work harder. That was a wakeup call to my work ethic. I have to work harder." He does just that; the next four games, Winston isn't intercepted once.
Winston averages 11 passing yards per attempt as the Buccaneers pick up their second win of the season against the Jaguars. His 11 yards per attempt would be the most in a single game during his rookie season. It is also the Buccaneers' first home victory since the 2013 season. "It was a big win for us and that's our goal, that's my goal individually is to get better every week," Winston says. "If I hold myself to that standard I expect everyone else to hold their self to that standard – the goal to get better every single week. The more we play together, the better and better we get together as a team."
Despite putting together one of his best games of the season, Winston and the Buccaneers surrender a late lead and fall, 31-30, to the Redskins. Winston completed 21 of 29 passes, his highest completion percentage of his rookie season. He also tosses two touchdowns without an interception.
In what would become a signature moment of the 2015 season, Winston flies through the air to score on the ground. It was his only touchdown in Tampa Bay's loss to the Giants. "Anything I can do to help this team out I'm going to do it," he says.
With 54 seconds left to play, Winston runs in for a one-yard touchdown to help lift the Buccaneers past the Cowboys, 10-6. He completed 22 of 39 passes in the Bucs' victory. "The touchdown was magical, man," Winston says. "Had a great fake, a great call, found the way into the end zone."
Winston picks apart the Eagles, throwing five touchdowns and no interceptions, as the Buccaneers pick up their second win in a row. His passer rating of 131.6 is the highest of his rookie season. "Every day I step on that field, I think it's going to be a special day," Winston says. "We just turned it up and we played better than they did from an offensive line standpoint. They took control of that line of scrimmage. When you control the line of scrimmage – it's hard to beat a team that's controlling the line of scrimmage."
The Buccaneers defeat the Falcons, reaching 6-6 in the process. Winston converts a seemingly impossible third down late in the game on a 20-yard scramble to keep the Bucs' final drive alive. He then throws the game-winning touchdown to Mike Evans with 1:39 left in regulation to help the Bucs to victory.
Winston throws for a career-high 363 yards but the Buccaneers fall, 33-23, to the Rams. Tampa Bay is eliminated from playoff contention later that week.
Winston passes Peyton Manning for the third-most yards by a rookie quarterback in NFL history. The Buccaneers finish with a 6-10 record and Winston finished with the 4,042 passing yards, the second-most ever by a Buccaneer quarterback in a single season. Winston addresses the media one last time. "We are going to create a mindset this offseason, I guarantee it," he says. "We are going to create a winning mindset, a mindset that you would never give up... a relentless mindset of being able to persevere over adversity. We are going to have that next year."
In fact, 18 of the 32 players picked in the first round last year were underclassmen, including seven of the top 10. Another 13 went in the second round. Fifty of the 74 players granted special eligibility last year were drafted.
Tampa Bay's first two picks in the 2014 draft were also underclassmen: wide receiver Mike Evans and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins. In 2013 the Bucs used mid-round picks on underclassmen Will Gholston and Akeem Spence, a pair of Big Ten defensive linemen. The last time the Bucs did not draft a single underclassman was 2012.
Here are the 96 underclassmen who have been granted special eligibility for the 2016 NFL Draft, as released by the NFL on Friday:
Player Pos. College
1 Roberto Aguayo K Florida State
2 Travis Blanks LB Clemson
3 Zac Brooks RB Clemson
4 Eric Enderson P Delaware
5 Austin Johnson DT Penn State
6 Keith Marshall RB Georgia
7 Tyvis Powell DB Ohio State
8 Noah Spence DE Eastern Kentucky
9 Michael Thomas WR Ohio State
10 Corey Tindal DB Marshall
11 Vincent Valentine DT Nebraska
Each of the 96 players granted special eligibility has met the league's three-year eligibility rule and each has submitted a written application in which he renounced his remaining college football eligibility. The deadline for receiving applications was January 18.
The players granted special eligibility for the 2016 NFL Draft:
Player Pos. College
1 Bralon Addison WR Oregon
2 Dominique Alexander LB Oklahoma
3 Mackensie Alexander DB Clemson
4 Eli Apple DB Ohio State
5 Demarcus Ayers WR Houston
6 Peyton Barber RB Auburn
7 Vonn Bell DB Ohio State
8 Caleb Benenoch T UCLA
9 Andrew Billings DT Baylor
10 Dariusz Bladek G Bethune-Cookman
11 Joey Bosa DE Ohio State
12 Tyler Boyd WR Pittsburgh
13 Daniel Braverman WR Western Michigan
14 Beniquez Brown LB Mississippi State
15 Artie Burns DB Miami
16 Kenny Clark DT UCLA
17 Corey Coleman WR Baylor
18 Trenton Coles DB Duquesne
19 Alex Collins RB Arkansas
20 Maliek Collins DT Nebraska
21 Jack Conklin T Michigan State
22 Pharoh Cooper WR South Carolina
23 Kamalei Correa DE Boise State
24 Su'a Cravens LB Southern California
25 Elijah Daniel DT Murray State
26 Terrell Davis LB British Columbia
27 Kevin Dodd DE Clemson
28 Thomas Duarte TE UCLA
29 Ezekiel Elliott RB Ohio State
30 Leonard Floyd LB Georgia
31 Kendall Fuller DB Virginia Tech
32 Will Fuller WR Notre Dame
33 Jared Goff QB California
34 T.J. Green DB Clemson
35 David Grinnage TE North Carolina State
36 Christian Hackenberg QB Penn State
37 Vernon Hargreaves DB Florida
38 Jerald Hawkins T Louisiana State
39 Derrick Henry RB Alabama
40 Hunter Henry TE Arkansas
41 Willie Henry DT Michigan
42 Rashard Higgins WR Colorado State
43 Austin Hooper TE Stanford
44 Jordan Howard RB Indiana
45 Xavien Howard DB Baylor
46 Germain Ifedi T Texas A&M
47 Myles Jack LB UCLA
48 Cardale Jones QB Ohio State
49 Cayleb Jones WR Arizona
50 Chris Jones DT Mississippi State
51 Jayron Kearse DB Clemson
52 Denver Kirkland T Arkansas
53 Darius Latham DT Indiana
54 Kenny Lawler WR California
55 Shaq Lawson DE Clemson
56 Darron Lee LB Ohio State
57 Roger Lewis WR Bowling Green
58 Steve Longa LB Rutgers
59 Paxton Lynch QB Memphis
60 Jalin Marshall WR Ohio State
61 Alex McCalister DE Florida
62 Brett McMakin LB Northern Iowa
63 Keanu Neal DB Florida
64 Yannick Ngakoue DE Maryland
65 Robert Nkemdiche DT Mississippi
66 Marquez North WR Tennessee
67 Emmanuel Ogbah DE Oklahoma State
68 Paul Perkins RB UCLA
69 Joe Powell DB Globe
70 C.J. Prosise RB Notre Dame
71 Jalen Ramsey DB Florida State
72 Alex Redmond G UCLA
73 Hassan Ridgeway DT Texas
74 A'Shawn Robinson DT Alabama
75 Demarcus Robinson WR Florida
76 Rashard Robinson DB Louisiana State
77 Aldrick Rosas K Southern Oregon
78 Zack Sanchez DB Oklahoma
79 Isaac Seumalo G Oregon State
80 Wendell Smallwood RB West Virginia
81 Jaylon Smith LB Notre Dame
82 Tyrell Smith T Massachusetts
83 Ronnie Stanley T Notre Dame
84 Kelvin Taylor RB Florida
85 Ron Thompson DE Syracuse
86 Laquon Treadwell WR Mississippi
87 Laremy Tunsil T Mississippi
88 Quinn van Gylswyk K British Columbia
89 Nick Vigil LB Utah State
90 Cleveland Wallace DB San Jose State
91 Dwayne Washington RB Washington
92 Stephen Weatherly LB Vanderbilt
93 De'Runnya Wilson WR Mississippi State
94 Daryl Worley DB West Virginia
95 Scooby Wright LB Arizona
96 Avery Young T Auburn
