Kirk Herbstreit says NFL will have to adjust to ‘new norm’ created by NIL
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In the past, it was common to see juniors in college football — even if they weren’t slam-dunk prospects — take the leap to the professional ranks in chase of a paycheck. These days, we’re not seeing it as frequently. And in Kirk Herbstreit’s estimation, NIL is to blame.
Herbstreit spoke on the impact college football’s new landscape is having on the NFL Draft in advance of the event’s first round on Thursday. He believes NIL is keeping players who would have declared for the draft in previous iterations in school.
“I’m wondering, ‘well, why aren’t there any juniors…’ it’s because of this new NIL rule, where players are now able to say, ‘I’m gonna stay in college… help my draft stock for the next year,'” Herbstreit said. “That’s gonna be a trend that the NFL is gonna have to adjust to… that’s gonna be the new norm.”
While this phenomenon of juniors remaining in college potentially thins out some draft classes, it likely has a positive impact all around.
The quality of college football’s on-field product increases when good players stick around. In return, they develop further — making future draft classes deeper — and have an opportunity to hit the ground running when they reach the NFL. In an age where college football and the NFL are primed to compete for the same eyeballs in December, this is a win-win.
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