Whether on the field or on social media, the top college football players do everything they can to attract the attention of the National Football League in hopes of being selected by their dream team to embark on a professional career on the gridiron.
That same determination to stand out also shows in their fashion choices. With the NFL draft kicking off — pun intended — Thursday night, many of the prospects will be decked out in designer brands or custom pieces with distinct details and accessories selected to highlight their individual style.
Although not every prospect plans to attend the event in Green Bay, Wisc., in person, even those who will be watching from home will be dressed to the nines. The NFL sends crews to the homes and watch parties of the athletes to capture the moment when a player’s name is called and his family and friends react.
“The NFL draft has always been a fun fashion moment,” said Kyle Smith, who serves as the league’s first fashion editor. Even when the prospects wore “giant suits that were too long with five buttons,” they were trying to make a statement. But it now has become a “big red-carpet moment as the players lean into fashion to build their personal brands.”
For the NFL draft, which is “one of the biggest nights of their lives,” he said, many of the players select custom linings or other details that speak to the special moments in their careers. “They wear their lives in their jackets.”
Although Smith doesn’t work directly with the prospects at this point in their careers, he said he has noticed a difference of late in the crop of rookies when they join the NFL.
“We’ve definitely seen a shift in players when they enter the league,” he said. “They have a real sense of style. And they start cultivating that in college.”
So when they do join the NFL, they’re already well versed in how to express their individuality — which they’re not shy about showing off. “The league is made up of really cool young men,” Smith said. “They all wear helmets and uniforms on the field, but this current generation of athletes understands fashion is a great tool to use if they want to make a personal statement.”
Malaki Starks, a 21-year-old safety for the Georgia Bulldogs, plans to attend the draft in person to see where he may wind up playing. Reports indicate that Starks, who is expected to be a first-round pick, might be selected by the Baltimore Ravens or Miami Dolphins.
Malaki Starks is not afraid to wear bold colors.
Courtesy of Malaki Starks
“It’s been a crazy journey,” he said. “I have no idea what’s going to happen or where I’m going to go. I just want a shot.”
He said he’s got four classes and an internship left to complete before he gets his degree in sports management and consumer economics from the University of Georgia, but his focus this week is on the NFL.
For the big night, Starks turned to Brian Alexander Bespoke to make him a custom suit in his favorite color: pink. He’ll pair it with the white shoes his fiancée got him for his first football game, he said.
Starks, who is now working with Klutch Sports Group, said some of his teammates used Brian Alexander as well to create their distinct looks for the draft.
At 6 feet, 1 inch and just over 200 pounds, Starks said he’s “bigger than the average person, but most of the time I don’t get a lot of custom.” Instead, he’s generally able to wear off-the-rack pieces.
He admitted when he started college, he “wasn’t very fashionable,” but it didn’t take him long to learn from the other players and up his game. “And I’m still learning,” he said, pointing to Tykee Smith of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as someone whose style he admires. “It’s not crazy stuff but I watch what he wears.”
When he’s not dressing to be photographed, Starks said his style is “really chill,” and he leans toward shorts, sweatpants, “Nike stuff” and “comfortable clothes.”
Starks has already signed deals with Beats by Dre and other companies, and while he’s thankful for the NIL ruling by the NCAA in 2021 that allows college athletes to profit from the use of their names, Starks hasn’t let this newfound windfall change him dramatically.
“If you use it in the correct way, it’s a blessing,” he said.
Another player who is expected to be among the first-round draft picks is Jaxson Dart, a quarterback for Ole Miss, who is rumored to be among the players the Pittsburgh Steelers are interested in selecting.
Unlike Starks, Dart has decided to stay home rather than attend the draft in person, although he did visit Green Bay earlier in the week to enjoy some of the pre-event activities.
Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss is partial to “disruptive” fashion outfits.
Courtesy of Jaxson Dart
“They only give you 10 tickets and I have a big family and a lot of people who have been in my corner,” he said, and he wants to be with them on his big night.
While he may not walk the red carpet in Wisconsin, he’s still planning to pull out all the stops when it comes to his outfit, sporting a Louis Vuitton overshirt with a zipper in black that he’ll pair with “cool accessories.”
He said this is the first time he’s wearing Vuitton, but he’s partial to designer clothes. However, they have to pass the mom test — his mother is instrumental in helping her son find the right outfits to wear for his tunnel walks and other events. “My mom loves fashion,” he said.
At Ole Miss, the players strut the Walk of Champions two hours prior to every game through The Grove, a famous tailgating area on campus, before going to the locker room. Dart has embraced the opportunity to show off his style during these walks.
“Some coaches say you have to wear a suit or a sport coat, but our coach [Lane Kiffin] said we can wear anything we want. There are no rules, so that makes it fun.”
Dart describes his style as “very diverse,” often opting for oversize “disruptive” pieces. But he’s also known to wear more traditional outfits as well.
Jaxson Dart livens up a navy suit with colorful furnishings and shoes.
Courtesy of Jaxson Dart
Like Starks, his ability to cash in on NIL deals has also “been a big help,” he said. “It means financially, my parents are not as responsible for me anymore.”
Although he hasn’t lined up any designer brands yet, he does have a deal with Nicholas Air, which gives him access to a fleet of private jets. “It’s a unique and cool experience,” he said.
Ditto for his participation in the draft. “This is what I always expected for my future,” he said. “I anticipate things working out and being about to live out a childhood dream.”
