NFL Coaches Sound Alarm on College Football Transfer Portal Chaos Ahead of Draft

NFL coaches are linking the transfer portal era to a historic drop in draft-ready interior defensive linemen and rising character red flags.

NFL coaches are reporting serious concerns about the state of college football's player pool due to the advancements of the NIL and transfer portal in recent years. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The NFL Draft is supposed to be college football's ultimate report card. But some coaches around the league are raising serious concerns that the transfer portal era is changing the grade curve in ways that could have long-term consequences for the sport's pipeline.

The alarm is loudest in the trenches. One veteran NFL defensive line coach told The Athletic's Bruce Feldman this year's interior defensive lineman class is "the worst D-tackle group in 10 years." That's a remarkable statement in a sport where the best big men often define championship teams.

It's also not entirely shocking when you consider what's happening on college campuses. The combination of NIL money and near-unlimited transfers has fundamentally restructured how programs develop players, and NFL evaluators are now dealing with the downstream effects.

Transfer portal's toll on defensive tackle development

Four defensive tackles were taken in the top 21 picks in 2025. This year, there may only be one taken in the entire first round.

That same veteran defensive line coach didn't mince words about why. "The players are not being trained in the weight room the way they used to be," he said. "So many guys are transferring around, going to two schools, three schools. Also, being scared to train guys and push them too much because they'll get in the portal."

ASU Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) was considered the No. 1 transfer portal player in this offseason before committing to LSU. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A national scout who spent time in college recruiting echoed the concern with a straightforward observation: "If you're not staying at one place that develops and trains guys the same way for more than a year, it's so hard to grow physically. These guys are jumping ship left and right."

It's worth noting that the draft's top two offensive line prospects, Miami's Francis Mauigoa and Utah's Spencer Fano, both spent their entire college careers at one program. All six of analyst Dane Brugler's highest-ranked offensive linemen never played at more than one school.

Character concerns are following prospects to the combine

The physical development gap is only part of the story. NFL coaches are also flagging accountability issues that appear linked to how the portal process works.

An NFL receivers coach was blunt: "With all these kids that transfer, what I'm finding out now is all this is starting to affect the NFL because these kids are clowns. The schools don't know who they are getting because the transfer portal process is like a 10-day speed dating thing."

Fernando Mendoza, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, began his collegiate career at Cal before transferring to Indiana before the 2025 season. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One NFL defensive backs coach mentioned a prospect whose NIL deal apparently included a clause exempting him from special teams duties, calling it a major red flag in his evaluation.

The national scout described some of these players as "hired guns," noting that a short college stint might change behavior temporarily, but not permanently. Multiple NFL coaches have told reporters that they now distinguish between "program builders" and those chasing opportunity in a way that concerns them at the professional level.

The 2026 NFL Draft begins Thursday in Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium.