College basketball is typically the short-term home for the best NBA draft prospects. But while the best players spend a year in college before heading to the NBA, top football talents must wait three years to become eligible for the NFL draft.
What if that weren't the case?
The hypothetical demands an immediate qualifier: Only the rarest of exceptions—Adrian Peterson and Trevor Lawrence among them—would actually be top NFL prospects after their freshmen year. Otherwise, one-and-done players would be more comparable to the draft-and-stash selections made in the NBA.
Expecting an immediate NFL starter would be foolish.