Jason Burgos
It seems that Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta hates name, image, and likeness deals in college football. But the reason why is a bit odd.
NIL money in college sports, especially in football, has completely changed the industry. For decades, programs were solely built around the ability to grab hearts and minds in the living rooms and kitchens of high school recruits.
However, now a program can quickly turn things around in just one offseason if they have enough money to get the best players in the transfer portal or the high school ranks. While it has brought an absurd level of volatility to college sports, it has also offered athletes long overdue money making opportunites. Which means they aren’t in a rush to get to the pro ranks to make big bucks
Well, it seems that Ravens’ general manager hates it because it means he can’t get his hands on prospects sooner, and isn’t into “older” players.
Baltimore Ravens GM hates ‘older’ players from NFL Draft
“Players are older. The average age of the players is not necessarily older, but there are older players in the draft,” DeCosta said this week. ‘We’re seeing more 24 and 25-year-old players. That’s 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. And in some cases, they’ve got more injuries. They’ve been playing college football longer, so they’ve taken on more injuries.”
“… We might have had 4 percent of our players on the draft board 24 1/2 or older before 2024. Now that number is up to 18 percent. So we’ve seen a 14 percent increase in older players on the draft board,” he added. “… I don’t think it’s a good thing, certainly. Historically, we’ve tried to draft younger players when we can. That’s something we feel strongly.”
So essentially, DeCosta would rather see college football players make less money so he can use them sooner for the Ravens’ best interest. Even if that means cutting them in a few seasons. Furthermore, while his point about accumulating more injuries is fair, extra years in college also mean more experience and being better prepared to make an impact in the NFL instead of needing further development.
It is a bit weird to dislike more experienced talent that were able to make good money before the NFL chews most of them up and spits them out.
