The NFL Draft has grown from an under-the-radar insider event into a three-day television extravaganza attracting fans and businesses across the globe. 

Quarterbacks could very well rule the top half of this year’s first round on a level we’ve never seen before, and many of tonight’s top prospects are already becoming bona fide brands.

It’s no secret companies love quarterbacks. Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes earns a reported $7 million per year from endorsements and sponsors pay Tom Brady an estimated $12 million annually. Peyton Manning pops up every time you turn on the TV.

Former Clemson quarterback and presumptive first-overall pick Trevor Lawrence is headed in that direction. He’s already scored a multiyear deal with Gatorade worth up to $2 million a year and signed on to promote crypto exchange Blockfolio. That partnership includes a signing bonus paid in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. 

More notable endorsements for other projected top picks (all QBs): 

• Former BYU standout Zach Wilson signed with Nike in April.
• Ex-Ohio State star Justin Fields signed his first deal with C4 Energy.
• Chipotle is naming burrito bowls after Fields, Wilson, and Trey Lance of NDSU, including a vegetarian option to coincide with Fields’ vegan diet.

2020 Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith is also seizing this moment. The wide receiver partnered with VRST, a men’s apparel brand launched by Dick’s Sporting Goods in March. Smith is VRST’s first professional athlete endorser. 

In past years, we’ve seen draftees like Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster use the lining of his draft-night blazer to promote his partnership with Pizza Hut. We’ll see what brands take the opportunity to get creative tonight.

Casual fans may not have heard of Genius Sports, but it’s one of the companies best placed to cash in on the rise of sports betting.

The British sports data provider and processor’s Q4 and full-year results for 2020, released on Wednesday, show a company on the rise. 

• Annual revenue grew 30.6% from 2019 to $150 million. 
• The biggest growth area by dollars earned was in sports betting technology, which provides 74% of the company’s revenue and grew 25% to $111 million.
• The biggest percentage growth came from the company’s media revenue, which nearly doubled to $23 million on the year.
• Fourth-quarter revenue accounted for 31% of 2020 revenue and grew 28% from Q4 2019.

The report boosts Genius’ momentum as it hits the public market after merging last week with a SPAC, dMY Technology Group,  in a $1.5 billion deal.

The company is locked in a battle with Sportradar to be the data backbone of major sports leagues. Earlier this month, Genius scored NFL data rights, previously held by its rival, for $120 million per year. The deal gave the NFL an equity stake in Genius.

In March, Sportradar agreed to a record-setting merger with L.A. Dodgers minority owner Todd Boehly’s SPAC at a $10 billion valuation.

The two are also locked in a legal dispute over Genius’ claim that Sportradar sends “data scouts” to Premier League games and other matches to collect data for which Genius has exclusive rights, according to Sportico.

Sportradar has argued that the exclusivity of Genius’ deals violates European antitrust laws.

Marshawn Lynch’s portfolio expanded again Thursday. “Beast Mode” has taken a stake in the Professional Fighters League, executives for the MMA company told Front Office Sports. 

The five-time Pro Bowl running back was an early investor in NRG eSports back in 2017 and has since acquired stakes in a Fan Controlled Football franchise and the United Soccer League Championship’s Oakland Roots.

“Beyond being an investor, Marshawn has amazing business capabilities and marketing instincts,” PFL CEO Peter Murray told FOS. “We are excited to be capturing his spirit and integrating that into the fan experience.”

Launched in 2018, the PFL has a different format than other major MMA-sanctioning bodies. The PFL — which has a reported valuation of $400 million — consists of regular season, playoffs, and a championship in each weight class, something more akin to stick-and-ball sports. 

Week 2 of the PFL will be on ESPN+ and ESPN2 as ESPN broadcasts its NFL Draft coverage. The PFL event will conclude with the debut of the “Beast Mode Fighter of the Night” award. 

“There’s something for everybody,” Murray said about competing with football’s biggest offseason event. “We think it’s an awesome opportunity.”

Lynch — who is slated to have his own PFL clothing line — joins Wiz Khalifa, Ray Lewis, and Kevin Hart as investors in the league.

“When the broader public realizes how superhuman the athletes are, they will become fans,” Sam Renouf, CEO of the Professional Triathletes Organization told Front Office Sports. 

Renouf is working to build the triathlon from a hobby of fitness enthusiasts to a sport with anticipated tournaments and recognizable athletes.

To make that happen, Renouf has:

• A unique business structure where athletes own 50% of the organization.
• An executive team that pulls from ATP, UFC, and Formula E.
• A motivated lead investor in billionaire Sir Michael Moritz — an early investor in Google, Yahoo, YouTube, and PayPal — who led an “eight-figure” investment round in PTO last year.

“Triathlon is massively under-commercialized,” said Renouf. “There is a huge opportunity to disrupt and change the market.”

PTO is 50% owned by its athletes and will offer at least $1 million in prize money at each of its five signature events — Ironman’s 2019 championship purse was $650,000. The Collins Cup will debut in August, with U.S., Canada, European, and Asian Opens  set to follow. Prize money is divided evenly between men and women.

The payout can lure top talent, but the real challenge is cultivating fan engagement.

“We are shamelessly copying the business models of other sports,” said Renouf. PTO borrows a tournament format from golf’s Ryder Cup and follows other leagues in mixing broadcast, social media, and its own over-the-top streaming service.

Inspired by Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” series on Formula One, PTO also commissioned a documentary on its own athletes.

“It’s not about putting sport on TV,” he said. “You have to make it engaging.”