When Calvin Austin found out last Sunday what the Senior Bowl was giving players as gifts, he was shocked: Each player would be able to make his own unique NFT — of which there would be only one copy — to keep or sell. He had only just started to research NFTs, their value and how athletes have started to use them to build their brand, so knowing he would have one of his own left him speechless.
As a wide receiver at Memphis, Austin earned an invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl to play in front of NFL scouts and coaches, hoping to help his draft stock. At the moment, ESPN’s NFL scouts have him ranked as the No. 12 receiver in the draft and the No. 95 prospect overall. He never thought his Senior Bowl experience would include card company Panini producing a limited-edition NFT trading card, with a short video, for every player in the game.
