Nehemiah Pritchett returning to Auburn for 2023 season

Auburn cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett is expected to return to The Plains for the 2023 campaign, instead of entering the 2023 NFL Draft, AuburnLive’s Justin Hokanson reported on Friday evening.

In returning, he joins his fellow teammate in the secondary in returning to Auburn for one more season, D.J. James. This season, Pritchett racked up 37 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, eight pass breakups, and one forced fumble. In 13 games during the 2021 season, Pritchett racked up 27 tackles, one interception, and five pass breakups.

Coming out of Jackson High School (Jackson, Alabama) Pritchett was rated as the No. 45 cornerback in America for the 2019 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus Rankings.

Nehemiah Pritchett is a critical piece returning for 2023

Pritchett’s announcement is huge for the Tigers’ program heading into 2023. He played 676 snaps last year–the fourth-highest snap count total among Auburn defenders, according to Pro Football Focus.

Pritchett just finished his fourth season on the Plains, but was granted one more year of eligibility by the NCAA due to Covid.

More on the 2023 NFL Draft

The 2023 NFL Draft is set to take place from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The event will be held at the plaza just outside of Union Station.

Round 1 of the NFL Draft is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft will be broadcasted throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.

To be eligible for the NFL Draft, players must be at least three years removed from their final year of high school while having used up their collegiate eligibility. Underclassmen are able to request league approval to become eligible for the draft, as are players who have graduated prior to using up all of their collegiate eligibility. 100 underclassmen were approved for last year’s draft. 73 of those 100 underclassmen were granted special eligibility while 27 of them were underclassmen who had completed their college degrees.

The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine will take place from Feb. 28 through March 6 in Indianapolis.