re: I wonder if Stingley is a little ticked right now...

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I think the difference is the risk of someone's value being seriously decreased is a lot lower in other industries than the NFL. Also, because pro sports careers are notoriously short any delay in the time that players are able to join said league also greatly affects their earning potential.

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If the NFL thought drafting 18 year olds was good for their bottom line, they would. There's a reason they made this policy, and it's not to screw themselves out of player value. It's actually beneficial. And you made that point ITT. Football players have a short shelf life. They want athletes at their peak physical selves when they get them. That generally is not 18 years old. It's also very difficult to evaluate kids out of high school to determine whether or not they are ready for the NFL. Enter college football. It costs them nothing and they get 3+ years of free scouting.

There's maybe a couple prospects like Stingley, Clowney, Fournette, etc. a year that may be ready for the NFL sooner than their junior year. Those are outliers, and policies aren't made based on outliers. The NFL doesn't want young kids to ruin their eligibility in college (their free scouting) with a hoard of kids being dumb and entering the draft out of high school or their freshman years when they shouldn't.