In 2-3 weeks, the people who took the 2023 NFL Agent Exam will get their results. As we’ve discussed previously, we expect a higher-than-usual passing rate based on the feedback we’ve gotten so far from test-takers. While that’s good news, what’s the bad news (as well as the good) as they enter the ranks of NFL player representatives on October 1?

Here’s a look at the NFL agent body today.

Controlled by the big agencies: While there’s been diversity in which firms represent the No. 1 overall pick, there’s not a lot of diversity when it comes to which firms consistently land the top players. For example, at ITL, we’ve tabulated draft “value points” (see here for an explanation) going back to 2007. Since 2007, 14 firms have more than 20,000 points. Some of them are defunct, but those who are still active are, in order, CAA, Athletes First, Independent Sports, Rep1 Sports, Sportstars, SportsTrust Advisors, Rosenhaus Sports, Octagon Football, BC Sports, Priority Sports and Klutch Sports Group. These are the firms that consistently dominate the first three rounds. Then you have another 20 schools who have between 5,000 and 15,000 value points that are a consistent presence in the draft, though not always on Days 1 and 2. These firms are Roc Nation Sports, Wasserman Sports, 1 of 1 Agency, WME Sports, Allegiant Athletic Agency, NC Sports, Enter-Sports, Alliance Management, The Sports and Entertainment Group, United Sports Group, Equity Sports (formerly Steinberg Sports), VaynerSports, JL Sports, Universal Sports and The Ballengee Group (again, some of the points leaders have gone out of business). After that, there are about a dozen other firms that are a regular part of the draft. If you’re not part of one of those 40 agencies, you’ve got a real uphill battle.

Allied with entertainers: This week, we learned that Druski, who gained fame making people laugh on social media platforms, has launched his own sports agency. Jay-Z, Darius Rucker, Lil Wayne and others have entered the arena in the last 10 years, and another big-name entertainer joins the business about every other year. The star power musicians bring has produced mixed results, honestly, but the fact remains that merely being attached to someone with fame and presence is quite the door-opener.

Heavily clustered: If you live on the coasts or in major metropolitan areas, you’re one of many contract advisors in your area. There are 30 agents in Greater Nashville. There are 28 in Miami proper, 39 in the five boroughs of New York City. There are almost a hundred agents in Southern California alone, 30 in Greater Houston and 44 in  Greater Dallas. On the other hand, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming are states with no registered contract advisors.

There are other factors to consider, but these are some of the geographic and business aspects of the business that are pretty fundamental to understanding what today’s player representation firm looks like. For greater detail on this and other topics related to the football industry, make sure you’re reading our newsletter. You can register for it here.