As of my knowledge cutoff of September 2021, the youngest player in the NFL was Jevon Holland, who was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. He was born on December 16th, 2000, which means that he turned 21 years old later that year.
The NFL has a minimum age requirement of 21 years old for players to be eligible to play, which means that Jevon Holland is the youngest player who is currently eligible to play in the NFL. However, it’s important to note that there are a few exceptions to this rule.
One exception is that a player can be eligible for the draft before they turn 21 if they have been out of high school for at least three years. This means that some players who are drafted may be younger than 21, but they are still eligible to play in the NFL because they meet this requirement.
Another exception is that there have been a few players who have been granted special exemptions to play in the NFL before they turn 21. For example, Amobi Okoye was drafted by the Houston Texans in 2007 at the age of 19, after graduating from high school at the age of 16 and attending college for just two years. However, these exemptions are rare and only granted in exceptional circumstances.
In general, the NFL prefers players to have a few years of college experience before entering the league, as this allows them to develop their skills and mature both physically and mentally. However, there have been a few players who have entered the league straight out of high school, such as Maurice Clarett and Mike Williams, but these players have not been particularly successful at the professional level.
In conclusion, as of my knowledge cutoff of September 2021, the youngest player in the NFL was Jevon Holland, who was born on December 16th, 2000 and turned 21 later that year. While there have been exceptions to the NFL’s minimum age requirement, these are rare and only granted in exceptional circumstances.