Eric DeCosta: NIL leads to older players in the draft, I don't think that's a good thing
"That's problematic for us because guys are coming in older they've probably got less upside," DeCosta said.
For decades, the best college football players left school after three years, as soon as the NFL would take them. That's changing. Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta doesn't see it as a good thing.
The NCAA now allows players to make money off lucrative name, image and likeness deals, and the NCAA has also become more lax about granting players extra years of eligibility. That means players are waiting to turn pro, and DeCosta says he sees more older players who have less room for growth in the NFL. "There is a changing dynamic we've seen with the draft," DeCosta said.
"Players are older. The average age of the players is not necessarily older but there are older players in the draft. We're seeing more 24 and 25-year-old players.
That's because of covid initially, and now because of NIL, guys are getting paid to stay in. That's problematic for us because if guys are coming in older they've probably got less upside. They're not three-contract players in some cases, they're two-contract players.