Sean Payton gives his take on evaluating players in NIL era

As the NFL draft is a little less than a month away, much thought is given to each player who could fit on a team. When it comes to your team's turn to go on the clock, the homework has already been done, the film pored over and a role for that player to fill has already been examined. One of the hardest parts of evaluation in today's college football landscape has been the transfer portal and NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) contracts players can sign with college teams (as of July 2021), allowing players to essentially go to the highest bidder.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton was asked at the 2026 NFL combine in February what the evaluation process looks like for a player who has transferred from one school to another. "I think it helps, for us, it helps us reveal maybe make up, character, behavior," 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… With one school. Then there are always these players that refuse to leave and stay at their (school)… There are less small-school players, though, getting drafted. It’s not a crisis, it’s just that they’re getting moved to 1A schools.

I don’t think it’s hindered us in the draft. Very commonly, you’ll list the schools: first school, second school. Maybe junior college, first school, second school.