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'You Have to Change': How the Ripples of NIL and Transfer Portal Are Being Felt in the NFL Draft

NFL teams are adapting draft evaluation processes as the transfer portal and NIL reshape college football, with general managers scrutinizing whether prospects prioritize professional development or financial gain.
The paradigm shifted after the House v. NCAA settlement last June, which solidified a pay-for-play system allowing athletic departments to procure NIL guarantees while skirting the $20.5 million salary cap.
Top-Tier NIL valuations have soared, with LSU reportedly exceeding $40 million on its 2026 roster, anchored by transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt's projected $5 million deal and Carson Beck's reported over $4 million agreement.
Some players, like Ducks quarterback Moore, are choosing to stay in school despite massive earnings, while others like TJ Finley utilize the transfer portal extensively, forcing scouts to evaluate "one-year rentals."
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane and Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio prioritize understanding character fits over penalizing players for NIL earnings, seeking to decipher whether prospects are "simply motivated just for money.

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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'You have to change': How the ripples of NIL and transfer portal are being felt in the NFL Draft

To stay or not to stay? That is the question polarizing NFL Draft prospects in the winter when the dust settles after the college football season. In years...

2 days ago·Pittsburgh, United States

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