May 23, 2023, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead during organized team activities at Cal Lutheran. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The 2025 NFL draft came to an end on Saturday and teams added several new players to their rosters to fill in the gaps and to prepare for the future as well. Identifying talent is not the easiest thing to do, and at times, draft projections and the reality can turn out to be quite different. But what remains at the heart of the game is the love for the sport, the passion to take the field and perform to the best of one’s ability, and to strive to get better at every turn.
In today’s world of football, especially since the NIL has taken the NCAA by storm, college athletes have easier access to money. These players, who are barely 20 years old, are earning millions of dollars even before they take a single snap at the professional level. As such, the question arises whether players are nowadays even interested in playing the game or if it is just about the money.
Les Snead on How the Rams Evaluate Players in the Draft
The question of how teams evaluate players nowadays in the NIL era popped up during an interview with the Rams GM, Les Snead, on the Pat McAfee Show. Snead was asked whether teams nowadays are looking for players who just love football and if that is the way they evaluate players in the draft.
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Per Snead, the NIL may have had a little effect on how teams view players, but the main thing is that teams always look for players who love the game, as only those players will suffer and sacrifice to be the best. It is this type of attitude that generally translates into their behavior as a professional player who wants more than to just be a depth piece on the roster.
“If someone truly loves football, if you’re passionate about you’re probably going to suffer right, you’re going to go through stress and drudgery. If they love the game, if they love their team they’re going to suffer, they’re going to sacrifice, they’re going to give a little and that usually then compounds over time with all the behaviors that go into being a pro and and not just being on the depth chart or not just you know hanging around.”
The Rams’ GM makes a fair point as he suggests that players who live for the game are more likely to give it their best shot day in and day out rather than those who are looking only at the money aspect of the sport. Those willing to strive to etch their names in history are bound to do well, and that, in turn, is what teams are looking for as the driving force toward success.
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