How Chiefs Adjust to Older Prospects, Players Already Paid

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The transfer portal essentially makes college players free agents long before they reach the NFL – and an eternity before they get the four accrued seasons they need to become unrestricted free agents.

That’s why since college athletes began getting paid in 2021 that some of them now make more than many in the NFL.

Welcome to a brave, new world for NFL general managers.

New brand of prospect

The new brand of college prospect also is trending a bit older, such as Miami edge rusher Akeem Mesidor and Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, thanks to the extra years of eligibility from Covid and other factors keeping them in school longer.

“You see it when we go through these prospects,” Brett Veach said from the scouting combine Tuesday, “and we’re looking at the tags, and you see their birthdates and then you look at your roster, and a lot of those guys are just as young as these guys and then it trickles down.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore walks the field after the Ducks’ loss as the Oregon Ducks face the Indiana Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9, 2026, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“You also see it, too, when the official decision date for these underclassmen came out. I believe we moved over 25 guys off our board that we had top 75, top 100. It really impacts the draft, and then you’re getting older prospects as you go on. I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon and that’s something that we have to adapt to until there’s some wholesale changes on what they do on the college side.”

That college side is the wild, wild west right now. Whether and to what extent the rules change is anyone’s guess. What’s interesting is the historical threshold players are crossing this spring.

No doubt, many of the Chiefs’ players ready to hit free agency – especially Jaylen Watson and Leo Chenal -- have to be wondering how much more money they might’ve made from football by simply being born a year or two later. That would’ve allowed them to at least claim some of the early dollars from NIL.

Instead, they entered the NFL in 2022, part of Veach’s best draft class to date. Watson was a seventh-round selection (243rd overall). While he’s likely to get a solid second NFL contract in the next two weeks, Watson has earned less in the his NFL career than some college quarterbacks have already earned from NIL.

As far as the older players, the Chiefs prefer a mix of college experience and raw talent they can coach.

nohl william — Sep 28, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Nohl Williams (20) kneels in the end zone against the Baltimore Ravens prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

“I think this is just going to be the way things work now,” Veach said, “and it’s for us to adapt and adjust to it, and position yourself to get some of the younger players that have a little bit more growth. Typically, the second and third round would be those guys that maybe they didn’t play a lot but they’re young. Well, now these guys are just bouncing and getting paid by another school and getting paid and playing.

“It’s a little bit that two, three and four round where you have the younger, developmental guys that haven’t scratched the surface yet. You’re getting a little bit more already finished product, so that’s challenging. I think it’s, again, what we have to adapt to, and that goes into how you position your board, when to be aggressive and when not to be aggressive.”

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