College football’s top players can expect big paydays after the NFL Draft in Detroit, with the 32 first picks receiving rookie contracts worth up to $38 million, with their value dropping with each successive round of the draft.
First draft pick – Awarded to the Chicago Bears after a 2023 deal with the Carolina Panthers for wide receiver J.J. J. Mura – estimated to receive a four-year contract worth $38.5 million, according to Spotrac estimates (rookie contracts are four years with a fifth option, per league rules).
The first five picks in the draft can expect to earn more than $30 million in their rookie contracts, according to Spotrac, from an estimated $36.8 million for the second pick to $32.3 million for the fifth.
The next six draft picks (No. 6 through No. 11) are projected to earn more than $20 million each, while lower first-round picks are expected to command contracts worth more than $12 million.
Second-round picks will earn slightly less, according to Spotrac, which estimates the first pick of the second round will earn just under $10 million in a hand contract, while the last pick of that round could command a contract of around $6.3 million .
The value of the contract continues to decline as the draft progresses, ending with the last pick in the seventh round, nicknamed “Mr. Reckless,” expected to receive a contract just over $4 million.
Once signed, those contracts are final: contracts for rookies selected in the draft cannot be renegotiated or changed in any way until the completion of their final regular-season game in year three, according to the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams is projected to be the first pick in the draft, according to NFL Network, CBS Sports, USA Today and The Athletic. Although the Chicago Bears have a guaranteed first pick, they are not guaranteed to select Williams, or take the first pick at all, if they decide to trade up at the last minute.
Subsequent first-round picks have been awarded to the Washington Commanders, New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers, who are expected to use their picks to bolster their offense, possibly choosing between LSU quarterback Jaden Daniels, North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and Alabama running back JC Latham. Other expected top picks include LSU wide receiver Malik Neighbors, Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt, Alabama outside rusher Dallas Turner and Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson earned $85 million from May 2022 to May 2023, including $72 million on the field playing for the Denver Broncos, and $13 million in off-field endorsements, making him the highest-paid player in the league, according to Forbes . Wilson, who signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh last month after a poor sophomore effort in Denver, will earn just the league’s veteran minimum salary of $1.21 million this coming season — far behind the likes of Cardinals quarterback Kyler Mario ($67 million on the field). or Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahome ($39.3 million).
Brian Bouchard, Forbes journalist
