re: Lance Heard & whomever is advising him are not smart.

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My belief is the NFL loves the transfer portal.

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I agree. But not necessarily for the reasons you listed. I think they like it because it creates somewhat of an NFL "farm system" that can filter out the potential NFL player from those who aren't.

The top HS prospects are (almost) always going to sign with the power conf. programs...which represent the highest level of competition in college football. If those prospects can't perform at that level the power conf. coaches, with the transfer rules, generally have an incentive to "process" those players in exchange for others (transfers). Those "processed" players often end up at the lower level teams and NFL scouts can generally take them off their radar.

On the flip side, the transfer rules allow guys who were low rated HS prospects to make their way up through the "farm system". Guys who are really good G6 players often transfer to power conference schools. The NFL probably loves that because it gives them a free preview as to how that guy will perform against tougher competition.

In the past, if you drafted a guy from a G6 school you hoped that ability would carry over to a significantly increased level of competition (the NFL), but that was always a concern. Could a guy who was really good at ULL, Kent St., Coastal Carolina, make it in the NFL? Now, you often get to see those guys jump from those schools to the SEC, Big 10, Big 12, etc before entering the draft which gives NFL scouts an opportunity to see them against tougher competition before decided whether to draft them or not.

Look at a guy like Jared Verse. He was really, really good at Albany. Likely good enough to get drafted if he stayed there. But, there would always be the unknown of if his play at Albany was a byproduct of competition FAR weaker than what he would face in the NFL. However, he gets to transfer to FSU and performs well there. That basically solidified him as a 1st round pick because the NFL has seen his production against the top level of competition in college football.