A hit that knocks the air out of your lungs, a crowd so loud the field seems to be bouncing, getting burned on a go route that you used to lock up. Every NFL player experiences this at some point in their rookie year—their “welcome to the NFL” moment. While these plays can be embarrassing and help illuminate that the league is a different level of football, in comparison to other sports, the NFL allows for a fairly smooth transition from the NCAA level.
Of course, this does not mean that the change is easy. For starters, the best players don’t get to choose their team, meaning many of them go from national championship-caliber teams to some of the worst franchises in the NFL. Early draft picks are expected to make immediate impacts on teams despite having very little talent around them, leading to a lot of pressure and often scrutiny from fan bases.
There are also positional adjustments that need to be made. Quarterbacks must adjust to using a snap cadence instead of the college-standard clap. Cornerbacks must adjust to complex defensive schemes often absent at the college level. However, the biggest thing for everyone is the athleticism. In college, you can succeed by being the best athlete on the field, while in the NFL, everyone is the best athlete on the field.
While none of these adjustments are easy, especially in such short time frames, this demand is also what makes the college-to-NFL transition more direct than in other sports. It is superior because these newly minted NFL players are starting NFL games.
In comparison to the immediate stardom that many NFL rookies are exposed to, baseball players typically take an average of 4-6 years to reach the Major League Baseball (MLB) level, with only 66% of all first-round draft picks ever reaching the majors. Similarly, most National Hockey League (NHL) draft picks will take at least a few years playing junior, college, or American Hockey League hockey before playing on the big stage. While this process may make the necessary skill acquisition more gradual, it also means that getting drafted means brutal travel schedules and minimum contracts instead of new cars and a house for your parents.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) most closely resembles the NFL in terms of immediate playing opportunities for rookies. But while NBA lottery picks may be immediate starters, smaller roster sizes and limited bench usage make most other picks career-long benchwarmers or even G-League players. In contrast, later-round NFL draft picks usually see the field through constant positional rotations and special teams opportunities.
This is not, however, to say that football is an easier sport. In fact, part of the reason it is easier to start in the NFL is because there is so much talent rollover due to the brutal nature of the sport. According to a 2018 study by RAM Financial Group, the average career length of an NFL player is 3.5 years, more than a year shorter than the NBA (4.8 years), NHL (5.5), or MLB (5.6).
Becoming a bona fide player in any league is an incredible accomplishment, reserved for the most elite athletes in their respective sports. Each league has its difficulties and perks, largely irrelevant factors for most athletes, who seldom have the luxury of choosing which sport they’ll pursue professionally. On that note, the rare athlete who has a choice between the NFL and another sport almost always chooses football. It is not because of salary (the average NFL salary is roughly $3 million less than that in the MLB) or career length. It is because in the NFL, you get to play right away, even if it means having your “welcome to the NFL” moment.
