Professional football organizations are discovering that Name, Image, and Likeness agreements revolutionizing college athletics provide valuable intelligence about how future draft picks will handle sudden wealth before signing major professional contracts.
According to numerous talent evaluators, this insight has become a valuable asset during the selection process.
“The cool thing about college scouting that we always had to answer when we were going to schools, how’s a guy going to be when he has money? Now we have that answer,” Los Angeles Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz said recently. “Some guys get the money and change the way they are. Other guys get the money and you hear stories about taking guys out for dinner, taking his teammates (out) and he works hard, is a leader. You kind of get the answer. It’s a great thing and it’s great for players in college to have that opportunity.”
Financial decisions can reveal a prospect’s maturity level, showing whether they demonstrate self-control or become easily sidetracked. Athletes who remain concentrated despite profitable opportunities are more likely to successfully adjust to professional football. Talent scouts examine whether a player’s on-field performance declines after receiving substantial compensation or if they continue displaying the same dedication and reliability. Their relationships with fellow team members also represent a crucial factor.
“Does the guy have eight cars or does he actually have a financial advisor, and he puts it into an S&P stock index because he’s trying to grow his portfolio?” Houston Texans GM Nick Caserio said. “You’ve got probably a different thought process that goes into it. I know what I would do. Nobody was giving me any NIL money and I wasn’t good enough. But, again, it’s just understanding their thought process.”
Student-athletes were prohibited from monetizing their athletic abilities until 2021, when the NCAA modified regulations to allow students to generate income from their name, image and likeness.
This policy change, combined with increased mobility through the transfer portal, has fundamentally altered college athletics. Elite athletes are now securing lucrative partnerships with major corporations. Educational institutions can allocate up to $20.5 million for athlete compensation. Many competitors are pursuing financial opportunities by transferring between universities.
“I think it paints a clearer picture in terms of makeup,” Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles said. “I like to follow the whole journey. I don’t hold it against an 18-year-old that gets a million bucks to go to school and maybe didn’t have his priorities straight. I think most of us here, if that happened to us, we might be doing some crazy things, too, or maybe not focus where we should be focused. But I want to see the learning lessons that come from that and understand their structure of the people they put around them. I want to understand how they battle through adversity. I think the toughest thing is when there’s an out to transfer when things get hard, we heard the resilience of our young players. So I want to learn through that and learn how they grew throughout their whole deal.”
These commercial agreements can also prepare athletes for NFL careers, providing early exposure to wealth, sponsorship deals and personal marketing. They gain experience with celebrity status and fiscal responsibility during college.
“I think it helps, for us, it helps us reveal maybe makeup, character, behavior,” Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “To some degree, you can see the journey that some players take. And look, in a lot of ways, (it has been) a very positive change.”
School transfers were previously viewed as warning signs. That perspective has shifted.
“Back in the day, if a guy transferred one time, you kind of asked what happened? Like, did you get run out of this school or whatever?” Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane said. “Well, now it’s. … why’d you stay here four years? Like, what happened? It’s almost, it’s flipped, but you do ask those questions. And sometimes you ask them about, did you leave just because of the money? Did you leave for other reasons? You kind of just want to know. And at the same time, our scouts, one of their jobs, is talking to individuals at each program and trying to put together that puzzle of who this person is, how they tick. Are they simply motivated just for money? Or is the money a side benefit? They’re really still playing the game for the love of the game.”
Certain athletes remain in college longer because they can earn more as student-athletes if they’re not projected as early draft selections.
Additional playing time can also enhance their draft prospects.
Carolina Panthers GM Dan Morgan said he evaluated several players who chose to return for another season that he wishes would have entered the draft.
“We just gotta evaluate who is at our disposal,” Morgan said.
