CHICAGO — While 26 draft-eligible players have accepted invitations from the NFL to attend the proceedings later this month, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are not among them.
The two most recent Heisman Trophy winners and highest-profile players in this year’s crop have opted to stay home with their families for the April 30-May 2 draft. The quarterbacks are projected to go at the outset of the draft, which has moved to Chicago from New York this year. It was last held in Chicago in 1964.
Agreeing to attend are such All-Americans as running back Melvin Gordon, defensive end Vic Beasley, offensive tackle Brandon Scherff, defensive tackle Danny Shelton and safety Landon Collins.
Wide receiver Devin Smith of national champion Ohio State, and DE Arik Armstead, Mariota’s teammate at national runner-up Oregon, have agreed to attend.
The players who will attend at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University:
Arik Armstead, DEOregon; Benardrick McKinney, LB, Mississippi State; Vic Beasley,DEClemson; DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville; La’el Collins,T,Louisiana State;Andrus Peat,TStanford; Landon Collins,S,Alabama; Breshad Perriman,WR,Central Florida;
Bud Dupree,LB,Kentucky;Shane Ray,DE,Missouri;Cameron Erving,T,Florida State;Brandon Scherff,TIowa;Dante Fowler Jr.,DE,Florida;Danny Shelton,DT, Washington; Melvin Gordon,RB,Wisconsin;Devin Smith,WR,Ohio State; Randy Gregory,DE,Nebraska;Jaelen Strong,WR,Arizona State; Todd Gurley,RB,Georgia;Laken Tomlinson,G,Duke; D.J. Humphries,T,Florida;Trae Waynes,CB,Michigan State; Kevin Johnson,CB,Wake Forest; Kevin White,WR,West Virginia; Byron Jones, CB, Connecticut; and Leonard Williams,DT,Southern California.
