The Patriots have drafted three players through two days of the NFL Draft and all three of them have one thing in common. All three played at one school. Something that would not have mattered five years ago but it is important in today’s ever changing football landscape.

The transfer portal has changed the game of college football and the impact of it is now permeating into the NFL. We are starting to see the effects of the portal on the league and how talent is developed and being evaluated. It is starting to impact when players are drafted.

A large majority of the players that were eligible for this year’s NFL Draft have played at multiple schools. Several players in this year’s draft class have played at three or even four programs in their college careers.

The player movement is largely driven by NIL and assistant coaches back door recruiting players to their programs, promising them more playing time and money. Now more than ever, college players are valuing money and opportunity and it is less about the school and the program.

We were told during the pre-draft process this spring that several organizations around the league were cognizant of that fact and had reservations about drafting players who played at multiple schools. It is not to say that they would never draft players who played at multiple schools but that it factored into their evaluation process.

One of those organizations could be the Patriots and based on the three players they have drafted so far, it appears to be something that factored into their decision making process.

I asked Mike Vrabel about the impact the portal was having on the draft process and he down played it and focused on college players having the right to chose where they want to play but the reality is, teams like the Patriots also have the right to prioritize guys who played at one school.

Offensive tackle Caleb Lomu, who the Patriots took 28th overall in round one, started 22 games at Utah in three seasons. He played in 27 games total. He showed steady growth and development during his time at the school.

Second round pick Gabe Jacas was a four year player and three year starter at Illinois. He played in 50 consecutive games. Jacas was a model of consistency and a big reason why Bret Bielema was able to turn the program around in Champagne Urbana the past five years.

Eli Raridon played four seasons at Notre Dame and dealt with injuries but despite that, he also persevered and got back on the field. Physically, he has elite traits and profiles as a future Y tight end. The Patriots are not concerned about his injury history according to VP of Football Ops Eliot Wolf. But again, he experienced all of this at one school.

It is important to point out that we are not saying the Patriots won’t draft or sign players that played at more than one school. They will. However, they are also going to prioritize players who come from one school and one system. Especially if those guys fit their culture and system.

The Patriots are not the only team that will place value on stability and development in one scheme. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman wrote a piece earlier this week about coaches in the NFL expressing concern about the impact the portal was having on player development. It is something more and more teams are concerned about and something that will ultimately effect the product on the field.

NFL teams don’t have the power to effect change in the college game works but they could make a statement by drafting as many guys as possible that played at one school. Remember talent trumps all, but if you can get a good player who is further along in their development, that player might help sooner than a player who is talented but underdeveloped.

It is a reminder to young men throughout college football that stability and development matter. Staying at one school can pay dividends if you commit to the right school.