While NIL’s true impact on the NFL Draft is still coming into focus, it’s already proving to extend college careers. But there are more implications as the rev-share era closes out its first year.
The financial landscape in college football is constantly changing, but quarterbacks still command top dollar. According to data from Opendorse, the average annual value (AAV) for a quarterback is $3.4 million. On3’s Pete Nakos reported Brendan Sorsby is expected to be one of the highest-paid QBs in the sport this year with a deal worth roughly $5 million at Texas Tech.
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For comparison, contracts for players selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft have a $6.1 million AAV. The No. 1 overall pick – which is widely expected to be Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza – is set to sign a four-year contract worth $54.6 million, including $9.9 million in Year 1.
Beyond the first round, though, quarterbacks face decisions. Contracts for second-round NFL Draft picks have a $2.3 million AAV, which is less than the average college deal at the position. That number continues to drop through each following round.
For all other positions, the average NFL rookie contracts are worth more than the typical deal at the collegiate level. From a salary cap standpoint, though, players at some positions get a larger slice of the pie than they do in college.
Approval of last summer’s House settlement gave schools ability to share up to $20.5 million with athletes through revenue-sharing. That figure is growing to $21.3 million on July 1.
The majority of those rev-share dollars were largely expected to go toward football, and previous data from Opendorse showed football received an average of 63.1% of the cap this past season. But when comparing how college teams use the rev-share cap to the way NFL teams use the salary cap, there are some differences.
Power Four conference quarterbacks take up 16.9% of the salary cap in college, and that number drops to 14.5% of the NFL cap. Wide receivers also come at a cost for P4 teams, taking up 15.4% of rev-share allocation. In the NFL, wideouts receive roughly 5.4% of the salary cap on average.
Defensive backs are the most costly for teams in the NFL, taking up the most salary cap space at roughly 25% compared to 13% of the rev-share allocations in college. Offensive linemen are also valued at both levels, taking up 14.2% of the rev-share budgets at the collegiate level and 15.2% of the NFL salary cap.
The 2025 NFL Draft further showed how the Power Four is dominating the event in the NIL era. Roughly 89% of the selections came from power programs, according to Opendorse. In fact, only 39 draftees came from Division II, which is the fewest since tracking began.
Prospects are also getting older. The average age of the 2025 quarterback class was 23.3 while all other positions had an average age of 22.6. Those older prospects have been a topic of discussion around the league, with Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric De Costa becoming the latest to weigh in this week.
“There is a changing dynamic we’ve seen with the draft,” DeCosta said, via Pro Football Talk. “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. And in some cases they’ve got more injuries. They’ve been playing college football longer so they’ve taken on more injuries.”