Press coverage -- and rumors -- can mean the difference between a star quarterback going from a first-round hopeful to being the 74th pick.
The publicity a lesser known college player gets, say a middle linebacker at a small college, could determine whether a they get picked at all.
And unlike corporations, college players can't rely on advertising or marketing campaigns. It's all about press coverage and word of mouth.
Here's a few tips on what to do -- and not do -- in terms of publicity before the draft:
1) Avoid publicity pitfalls
Negative information is much stickier than positive press. (See Why Rumors are So Viral and Damaging.)
So many NFL prospects have on-field talent that's obscured by off-field problems that it's normal for writers and sports commentators to spend tons of ink and hours of air time discussing whether the athletic talent is worth the risk.
In 2011, Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallet was the perfect example of this. Mallet is 6'7 and 238 pounds, a giant for his position, with great arm strength. He was expected to go in the first round. He didn't.
Why not? He was arrested for public intoxication in 2009, which is not a shocking crime for a college student. But when that combined with a rumor that he missed a meeting with an NFL team because he was out late partying the night before, it didn't matter whether the rumor was true or not.
Perception is reality. Is that fair? No. But his draft stock fell and the Patriots eventually took him with the 74th pick.
2) Get hometown coverage
The press in your hometown -- where you're from and where you played -- will write about who's a possible pick and in which round.
This is your likeliest, and friendliest, source of press. Help them do that coverage right.
Be available; don't make them hunt you down.
Be quick, because they're on deadline.
And be quotable. Read last year's coverage and see what kind of questions they ask. You may only get one quote. Make it good.
3) Leverage your hometown coverage
The biggest question coaches, scouts and GM's have -- aside from the numbers -- is character.
Hometown coverage is the perfect outlet for shoring this up, for showing the gritty, human side of a player. What obstacles did you overcome? Don't say that you're a hard worker who puts in the hours and never gives up.
Give examples, and be specific. It's a cliche to say, "I work hard and give 110 percent." Instead, get concrete. Tell a reporter something like, "I've gotten up at 4 in the morning for three years to lift weights and run five miles before my first class."
Violate negative stereotypes in a positive way. If you're graduating with a 3.9 average in accounting, that violates the dumb jock stereotype. If you're a gym rat who doesn't drink alcohol and sings in the church choir, that violates the frat-boy football party boy stereotype.
4) Focus on what makes you different
NFL prospects are quantified to death. Height and weight. How fast they run the 40, how many times they can bench press 225 pounds, what they score on the Wonderlic.
To get noticed, you can't focus on what people already know. What makes you unique?
This is why you see stories about draft prospects who never played football until college, who started out as a tight end and became an amazing punter when the starting punter broke his leg or who have bizarre names and unique hair. The press and public hunger for whatever is different and unique.
Think about how what makes you unique can translate into a story, a photo or a video. In the age of Youtube, a video might be the best way to go viral and get notice. A clip of a quarterback throwing tight spirals to wide receivers on the practice field is no big deal. A quarterback hurling a football through a rolling tire, now, is a different thing.
Check out this 12-year-old, Johnny Sullivan, as he makes trick pass after trick pass with a football. I'll remember it.
If you play a position that needs strength instead of skill, show that off in a unique way. Not by posting a clip that shows how much you can bench press. Maybe you grew up on a farm and got strong throwing hay bales around and picking up calves. I wouldn't watch some clip of a big man bench pressing. I would pay attention to how far a left guard from Iowa can toss a hay bale, or how he can pick up a calf like it's nothing.
The press wants interesting stories that are different. See what's out there -- and don't copy it. Do something else.