What Does it Take to Play in the NFL?

Playing in the NFL requires several skill-sets. First, a player must demonstrate the ability to play football at high levels in college. Next, they must posses certain physical attributes such as strength and speed.

  1. Identification

    • The National Football League (NFL) is the highest-grossing professional sports league in the United States. In 2006, Forbes estimated that the average NFL team was worth $898 million. By the 2008-2009 NFL season, 19 of the 32 were valued at more than $1 billion.

    College

    • Being a top college player is the most common way to enter the NFL. Every spring, the NFL has its draft in which teams select the top prospects. The top picks in this draft become some of the highest paid players in the league. Sam Bradford, the top pick of the 2010 draft, signed a six-year deal worth $78 million dollars before playing a single down of football.

    Considerations

    • Besides being a top college player, there are certain physical requirements NFL scouts look for such as strength, speed and agility which are taken at the pre-draft Combine. Strength is measured by primary lifts such as the bench press and the squat. For instance, the average NFL player can squat 500 pounds and the top bench press at the 2010 Combine was 45 repetitions of 225 pounds. The 40-yard dash is the top speed measurement, the fastest 2010 time was 4.28 seconds.