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Where have all the NFL's small school prospects gone?

The article from MSN Sports discusses the noticeable decline in NFL draft picks from small schools, a trend that has been evident in recent years. Historically, small school prospects like Tony Romo from Eastern Illinois or Adam Thielen from Minnesota State have made significant impacts in the NFL, often going undrafted or picked in later rounds. However, the 2023 NFL Draft saw only 11 players from schools outside the Power Five conferences or major independents selected, marking a significant drop. This shift is attributed to several factors including the transfer portal, which allows players to move to bigger programs for better exposure, the impact of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals that incentivize staying at larger schools, and the NFL's increasing reliance on advanced analytics and combine performances which often favor athletes from larger, more resource-rich programs. The article suggests that while the path for small school players to the NFL has become narrower, their stories of overcoming odds still resonate, though their numbers in the league continue to dwindle.

Read the Full ESPN Article at:
[ https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/where-have-all-the-nfls-small-school-prospects-gone/ar-AA1AdnUK ]