Who is the youngest player in NFL Draft 2023?

If you are a fan of the NFL, then you must have seen the 2023 NFL Draft. You must have seen the draft picks of your favorite team, but a question must have come to your mind Who is the youngest player in NFL Draft 2023? It is one of the top questions searched on the internet.

The 2023 NFL Draft was the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select new eligible players for the 2023 season. The draft was held from April 27 to 29 out of Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Carolina Panthers selected the Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the first pick of the NFL draft 2023 and the Los Angeles Rams drafted Desjuan Johnson with the final pick of the NFL draft 2023.

So, Who is the youngest player in NFL Draft 2023?

According to the 2023 NFL Draft Prospect Database, the youngest player in NFL Draft 2023 is Pittsburgh running back Israel Abanikanda, who was selected by the New York Jets in the 5th round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

The youngest guy Israel Abanikanda is just 20 years old and will now compete with different ages of players in the league. In the NFL, their no such rule of ages or minimum ages to be qualified for the draft. But there are some rules discussed below that are important for any player to be eligible for the NFL draft.

So, Let’s know more about the youngest player in NFL draft 2023 Israel Abanikanda.

10 youngest NFL players 2023 list

PLAYER NAME	TEAM NAME	AGE
1. Israel Abanikanda	New York Jets	20 years
2. Nick Cross	Indianapolis Colts	20 years
3. Cordale Flott	New York Giants	21 years
4. Isaiah Spiller	Los Angeles Chargers	21 years
5. Drake London	Atlanta Falcons	21 years
6. Derek Stingley Jr.	Titans Texans	21 years
7. Breece Hall	New York Jets	21 years
8. Tyler Smith	Dallas Cowboys	21 years
9. George Karlaftis	Kansan City Chiefs	21 years
10. Jameson Williams	Detroit Lions	21 years

Israel Abanikanda’s Personal Profile

Full Name: Israel “Izzy” Adewale Abanikanda
Born: October 5, 2002, Brooklyn, New York
Age: 20 ( as of 2023 )
Height: 5 ft 11 in
Weight: 215 lb ( 98 kg)
High School: Abraham Lincoln
College: University of Pittsburgh
NFL Draft: 2023/ Round:5 / Pick: 143
NFL Team: New York Jets
Position: Running Back

Israel Abanikanda’s High School Career

Israel Abanikanda attended Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, New York. In his senior season, he was the Gatorade Football Player of the Year for New York after rushing for 1,350 yards with 20 touchdowns.

He was also ranked a three-star recruit and received scholarship offers from seventeen schools. On June 24, 2019, Abanikanda committed to the University of Pittsburgh to play college football.

Israel Abanikanda’s College Career

As a freshman at Pittsburgh in 2020, Abanikanda played in seven games, rushing for 95 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. As a sophomore in 2021, he played in all 13 games, starting six and rushing for 651 yards and seven touchdowns on 123 carries. He also returned kicks for 206 yards.

In the 2022 season, Abanikanda was named to the preseason watchlist for the Paul Hornung Award. He began the season as a starter but got off to a slow start in his first game. But he had a breakout game against Tennessee, rushing for 154 yards with a 76 touchdown.

He gained 133 yards against Western Michigan and 177 yards against Rhode Island, twice earning ACC Running Back of the Week honors.

Abanikanda suffered a shoulder injury in October but recovered in time for the next game. During Pitt’s homecoming game, he set a school record in rushing with 320 yards and tied the ACC single-game record with 6 touchdowns. He received numerous honors for his performance in that game.

Abanikanda finished the 2022 season with 1,431 yards and 20 touchdowns. He received the second most votes for ACC Player of the Year.

What are the NFL Draft age restriction rules?

According to the NFL, no written age restriction rules are available. There’s no minimum age required to become draft-eligible also. Although, a player must be three years out of high school to enter the league. This is why some of the youngest NFL players are only 19 or 20 years old when they get into teams.

If you want to join the NFL franchise you must be out of high school for at least three years and you are eligible to enter the draft. For example, if you graduate at 17 years old from high school, that means you must wait until you are 20 to enter the NFL draft.

If you graduate when you are 18, you must wait until you turn 21. This rule helps ensure a player is physically and mentally ready to join the NFL franchise.

Is there any minimum age to play in the NFL?

In the NFL’s policy, there is no minimum or maximum age limit set for playing American Football. To be eligible to play in the NFL, a player must be at least three years removed from high school graduation and have reached the age of 21 by the start of the NFL season.

The team established this eligibility rule to ensure that players have had sufficient time to develop physically and mentally before entering the NFL.

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It also helps to protect young players from potential injury or burnout, as the NFL is a highly competitive and physically demanding sport.

Exceptions to this rule may be made in rare cases, such as if a player completes his college eligibility before the three-year mark and has a hardship that would justify entering the NFL early.

However, such cases are evaluated on an individual basis and are subject to the approval of the NFL Commissioner’s office.

Top 10 Draft Picks of the 2023 NFL Draft

Pick No.	NFL Team	Player Name	Position	College
1	Carolina Panthers	Bryce Young	QB	Alabama
2	Houston Taxens	C.J. Stroud	QB	Ohio State
3	Houston Taxens	Will Anderson Jr.	LB	Alabama
4	Indianapolis Colts	Anthony Richardson	QB	Florida
5	Seattle Seahawks	Devon Witherspoon	CB	Illions
6	Arizona Cardinals	Paris Johnson Jr.	OT	Ohio State
7	Las Vegas Raiders	Tyree Wilson	DE	Texas Tech
8	Atlanta Falcons	Bijan Robinson	RB	Texas
9	Philadelphia Eagles	Jalen Carter	DT	Georgia
10	Chicago Bears	Darnell Wright	OT	Tennessee

How many players were selected in the 2023 NFL Draft?

There are a total of 259 players selected in the 2023 NFL Draft:

Positions	Number of Players
Cornerbacks	36
Wide Receiver	33
Linebackers	30
Defensive ends	22
Defensive Tackles	21
Safeties	20
Offensive Tackle	19
Running Backs	18
Offensive Guards	15
Tight Ends	15
Quarterback	14
Centers	9
Kickers	3
Punters	3
Fullback	1

Who is the youngest NFL player ever?

“Amobi Okoye” is the youngest NFL player in history. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft. He ranked 10th overall in the Houston Texans.

Okoye is still considered the youngest player ever drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft at the age of 19 years 10 months 18 days.

Who is the oldest NFL player ever?

“George Blanda” is the oldest NFL player ever to play football in National Football League history. He played a total of 26 seasons in his career. In 1975, he retired at the age of 48 years.

Unfortunately, Blanda’s final match at 48 at the 1976 AFC Championship was a loss. Even so, he still scored a field goal and kicked an extra point.

5 youngest NFL players in history:

PLAYER NAME	Age	DRAFT YEAR
1. Amobi Okoye	19 years old	2017 Draft
2. Danielle Hunter	19 years old	2015 Draft
3. Tremaine Edmunds	20 years old	2018 Draft
4. Elmer Angsman	20 years old	1946 Draft
5. Juju Smith-Schuster	20 years old	2017 Draft

Some amazing facts about Israel Abanikanda

• Israel Avanikanda is just 20 years old.
  
• His full name is Israel “Izzy” Adewale Abanikanda.

• He was born on 5 October 2002.

• He has proven that age doesn’t matter when you have talent.

• Israel Avanikanda got drafted in the 2023 NFL draft by the New York Jets.

• Israel plays in the position of Running Back in the NFL.

• Israel attended the University of Pittsburgh for college football.

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