As college athletes can now be paid under the NCAA's NIL (name, image and likeness) rules, how long will it be before that impacts the professional game?
Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report recently discussed the idea of the NFL adopting the same kind of rule that other professional sports leagues have, noting that players can be drafted into the NBA after just one year removed from high school. MLB and NHL have players selected while still in school.
The NFL currently has a rule where prospects must wait a minimum of three years after high school before entering the NFL draft. But how long will that hold up? Sobleski predicts that we could soon see a world where players can come into the league right after high school and even conducted a 2026 mock draft with that thought in mind.
With the No. 22 overall pick in that draft, the Denver Broncos select one of the top offensive line prospects in the country, Jackson Cantwell.
"The Denver Broncos are close to the stage of being a win-now franchise. They already have a lot of pieces in place to do so, but both of the team's starting offensive tackles are 30 or older and with rather large contracts on the books.
Left tackle Garett Bolles turns 34 next year, while right tackle Mike McGlinchey holds a $23.8 million salary-cap charge in 2026 that isn't guaranteed. The organization should prepare for life without them.
Nixa's Jackson Cantwell is a 6'8", 320-pound recruit about to enter the collegiate ranks as an elite offensive tackle. He already looks the part. He plays that way, too.
Cantwell is a powerful finisher who wants to bury his opponents. As with any young offensive line, technique progression is vital to long-term success. He needs time to hone his craft and handle bigger, more athletic defensive linemen. Even so, his potential to be a decade-long blindside protector is obvious", wrote Sobleski.
Cantwell currently attends Nixa High School in Missouri and is just 17 years old. Yes, 6-foot-8 and 17 years old.
Cantwell was born to parents who both competed in the shot put in the Olympics. He has been tremendous in that sport as well while also climbing the ranks of overall prospects in football nationally. 247 Sports currently has him as the No. 10 overall prospect in the country for 2026.
Back in May, Cantwell officially committed to play for the Miami Hurricanes and unless the NCAA adopts a rule change allowing players to go straight to the league, that's where he will play. In all likelihood, that will be the case. Although it could be several years before we see Cantwell in the NFL, it's a name for Broncos fans to start keeping tabs on now because you just never know how things will turn out.
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