The Role of College Football in Developing NFL Talent

When you think about college or any other educational institution, getting a degree is the very first thing that pops up in your mind. But thinking this way kind of undermines the social aspect of schools, colleges, and universities. It’s also the way you socialize with other people — the way you learn to be a part of society. 

When it comes to college, or college years to be more precise, you make your first steps in adult life. Your parents are no longer around that much to control every step that you take, so you have to make your own decisions. When focusing on the degree, you’re also forgetting that you’re not studying just one subject. You may major in one, but that doesn’t mean that it will define your prospective career. 

Let’s say, regardless of your major, you really enjoy writing essays, instead of ordering them from services. You’re so good at them that you can become a research essay writer on your own, and that will define your prospective career. And don’t forget about sports. You can easily become a prospective NFL star, especially if you’re attending:

• Notre Dame College
• University of Southern California
• Ohio State University
• Oklahoma State University
• Michigan State University

Those are the five colleges with the most drafts to the National Football League. Each of the listed colleges has over three hundred players taken to the NFL. And all that’s based on the player’s performance rather than just a tradition. Football teams there are the strongest. But let’s dig a bit deeper into how college football helps develop National Football League talents. 

NFL College Outreach Program

Most likely you think that training hard all the time will get you drafted. And in many ways, you can put it that plain and simple. But do you know what it is like to be a National Football League player? Yes, you may have some ideas, but that doesn’t mean that you really know what it’s like to join the NFL. Gladly, you’re taken care of thanks to the NFL College Outreach Program. 

The program provides a high standard of excellence for players to achieve on the field and in their personal lives, going far beyond simply preparing them for the NFL. In line with this program, former NFL players travel to colleges and universities to speak candidly with student-athletes about what to anticipate at the next level, the NFL Draft process, and how to make decisions as freshmen.

And if you think that the program is focused only on football, you’re extremely wrong. Most Hall of Fame inductees will tell you that the degree is important, as the football star career can be pretty short-lived. They underscore how challenging it is to get into the NFL and how brief a playing career can be in general. Student-athletes are given guidance by former and current celebrities on how to succeed in school and in life.

NFL College Advisory Committee 

So, okay, you’re studying at one of the colleges listed above or any other college where the National Football League drafts prospects. You’re surely using every possibility that the NFL College Outreach Program gives you to listen to your football idols. Is that all? Are you getting picked just based on your Outreach Programs attendance? Surely not. There’s the NFL College Advisory Committee. 

The NFL College Advisory Committee is basically the board of scouts that monitors the colleges for prospective draft picks. Their main goal is to assist freshmen who consider participating in the NFL Draft. But the competition is quite high there, as the number of freshmen up for consideration is limited. 

Up to five freshmen from each institution are evaluated by the board, while evaluations for extra players are taken into account on a case-by-case basis. By limiting the number of prospects the committee considers, the scouts may concentrate on the athletes who have a good chance of succeeding and offer more precise projections.

Some players are prevented from leaving college early by the board’s evaluations. Student-athletes are typically urged to finish their degrees and raise their draft stock by staying in school for an additional year. As more underclassmen declare for the draft, the advisory committee’s role becomes increasingly important.

Post-Collegiate Development

Your development as a prospective NFL player doesn’t end after college. The development continues even after your college tenure is over. But being a good college athlete doesn’t mean that you’re going to get drafted. There’s always a final test. And just like you have tests to pass for your graduation, the NFL has an exam of sorts for prospects. 

Instead of a final exam, top prospects will show their skills at various events. Generally, it means participating in events like the Senior Bowl or the Regional and National Combines. The performance of the top prospects will be closely monitored by the NFL scouts. And the most talented will get drafted. 

But don’t forget about other options. There’s a chance that while you participate in all the NFL pre-drafting programs, your interests shift. Let’s say, you no longer want to be a professional football player, but you got interested in coaching. Considering the fact of how much time you’ve spent consulting with scouts, you may get interested in scouting as well. 

The National Football League takes care of such possibilities as well. The scouts were paying attention not only to your talents as a prospective professional football player. If you think that your football player career should end up being a student-athlete, the NFL gives you several opportunities to consider. 

After your collegiate tenure is over, the league will connect you with initiatives like the NFL Coaching Workshop or NFL Scouting Fellowship.  All those initiatives help former players to develop their coaching or scouting skills, so they can have a football-related career without the necessity of being on the field. 

Final Thoughts

As you can see, the National Football League starts scouting for their prospective players early on. So, take your chances on getting drafted into NFL. The programs listed above make sure that you are considered for the draft and that you get your degree. And even if trauma or interest shift makes you change your decision, the National Football League can offer other career opportunities for your consideration.