A Busy Week Working with New Agents and More

15 Friday Nov 2024

Posted by in Agents, combine prep, Getting started, ITL

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The fourth quarter of the year is always an exciting time because we’re working closely with the newest NFL agent class. New contract advisors are fun to work with because they’re so excited about the industry and eager to learn. It’s almost impossible not to be inspired by their passion.

Here’s what this week looked like.

Monday: In addition to recording an incredible new edition of Scouting the League with guest Dane Brugler of The Athletic (you gotta check it out if you haven’t yet), I got on Zoom with a new agent who had a few questions and maybe needed a pep talk. There’s so much excitement that comes with passing the exam that, sometimes, new agents don’t know their next step. That’s natural and to be expected.

Tuesday: The NFLPA held its Midseason Virtual Contract Advisor Seminar and we broke it all down for our clients in our Rep Rumblings report (sorry, pay link). The biggest takeaways were that the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl won’t return anytime soon (partially, it seems due to misinformation union officials have received) and that the three-year rule is here to stay. Maybe it’s true that there are more agents than there need to be, but it’s also true that three years is a very short time to figure out an incredibly tough business (especially when you can’t start until October in Year 1).

Wednesday: Our weekly Zoom sessions are gaining momentum. We doubled our audience this week as we welcome Lee Smith of Triple F Sports Performance in Knoxville, Tenn., along with three established agents from NFL agencies (the Rosenbach Agency, Generation Sports Group and Turner Sports) who gave advice, provided tips, demonstrated some really impressive software or introduced new offerings designed to give first-year agents a leg up on signing legitimate prospects for 2025. The audience was made up of ITL subscribers, most of whom are rookie player reps.

Thursday: I headed to College Station to address about 50 communications students at Texas A&M as a guest of my friend, former co-worker and editor of my first two books, Paul McGrath. I spent an hour discussing sports editing, at Paul’s request, plus I gave a rundown of my roller coaster career in sports and, well, life. It was fun. If you want to check it out, it’s here. That was my morning. My afternoon was spent editing several scouting reports on 2025 prospects for agents and agencies, all of them written by former Titans scouting executive Blake Beddingfield. For agents who don’t yet have a network of scouts, I see this as an invaluable service, if I do say so myself. I also referred a member of the ’25 draft class to my friends Jose Jefferson and Mike Rittelman of the College Gridiron Showcase (plus I reached out to scouts to get a better sense of the player’s draft possibilities). Busy day.

I’ll spend today writing the Friday Wrap, which I hope you’ll check out. Register for it here if you haven’t already. 

If you’re a new agent, I hope you’ll consider joining us at Inside the League. We’re doing exciting things every week that will give you a better chance at success. I don’t think you got certified to win a participation trophy. We want to help you win, no matter what you do in the game. 

Here Are 20 GM Candidates I Like

08 Friday Nov 2024

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The good teams are sorting themselves out from the bad ones as we reach the NFL season’s midpoint. That means the winds of change will be blowing soon. 

In my capacity working with people in the game behind the scenes, plus our administration and presentation of the BART List Awards, I get to know and hear about a lot of talented people. Here are 20 that I think warrant serious consideration this offseason for GM and other senior executive jobs. 

Note: I’ve tried to recommend a few people who are not on the usual interview carousel. That means there are people here who still may be one or two seasons away from consideration, but who still have earned the respect of their peers. There are also a few that just missed the cut (I wanted to limit it to 20), but who will pop up on future lists. 

By the way, this list is presented in no particular order (not even alphabetical). I did this pretty spontaneously, but I like the way it came out, so here goes.

James Liipfert, Executive Director of Player Personnel, Texans: Houston went from a lost franchise to a Super Bowl contender practically overnight, and that’s easy to forget. Liipfert, who had a lot to do with that, has been highly regarded for a while, and is ready. It’s hard to find front office types who don’t like him.

Mike Martin, Director of Scouting Advancement, Lions: I’m going to continue to be loud about Mike, even if he rarely shows up on these lists. Vanderbilt-educated and a guy who put his time in running the roads as an area scout. I think a lot of Lions staffers will get interviews this cycle, depending on the number of openings.

Tariq Ahmad, Director of Player Personnel, 49ers: Tariq may still be a year away, but he’s probably the next Adam Peters as he’s racing up the ranks for one of the NFL’s 3-4 best franchises. I could see teams wanting him to get a little seasoning (he’s been a DPP less than a year), but I could also see someone rolling the dice. He’s been honored by his peers all three years that we’ve held the BART List awards (one of only a half-dozen people who can say that).

David Blackburn, Director of Player Personnel, Commanders: Like Tariq, David is in his first year as a DPP, so maybe he needs a little more time, but he’s on his way. Has Ravens roots, and Washington’s quick rebirth means he’ll get a shot soon. At least, he should.

Ian Cunningham, Assistant GM, Bears: Texas roots, Virginia-educated, ex-player, has worked for two of the league’s best franchises (Eagles and Ravens). He’s gotten several opportunities but turned some down. If the Bears can finish strong, maybe that gets him across the finish line.

Alonzo Highsmith, Senior Personnel Executive, Patriots: Here’s another guy who doesn’t get the credit he deserves because he doesn’t play the media game, but I’d argue there is no one who’s a better evaluator who’s gotten fewer GM interviews than Alonzo. The only reason he hasn’t won a BART List Award every year is because of his time with the Hurricanes. He’s always done things the right way. I’m never gonna stop promoting him. He deserves a shot.

Jon-Eric Sullivan, VP of Player Personnel, Packers: I don’t understand why Jon-Eric doesn’t turn up on more of these lists. One of these days, a team is going to get a great GM and, against all odds, everyone will say, “who’s this guy?” He’s a big reason the Packers always win.

Ed Dodds, Assistant GM, Colts: Ed is another one of the handful of front office types who’s won a BART List Award all three years we’ve had voting. Intense and thorough, he’s had lots of interviews, but it just hasn’t happened yet. I wonder if the Colts’ struggles this year hamper him this offseason.

Kyle Smith, Assistant GM, Falcons: Kyle has been under the radar, in my mind, but he’s a big presence in Terry Fontenot’s front office in Atlanta. The Falcons’ success this year may give him the boost he needs. Remember, his father, A.J., had a lot of success with the Chargers and Bills.

Terrance Gray, Director of Player Personnel, Bills: Terrance got deserved opportunities this last offseason, but it seems like he wasn’t a popular candidate before then, and I don’t know why. He’s another former BART List Award winner who’s a major reason for Buffalo’s success.

That’s 10 names. I’ve got 10 more, but you’ll need to read today’s Friday Wrap to see them. If you’re not already registered for our newsletter, which is free, you can do that here.

A Few Notes from a Busy Fall 2024

31 Thursday Oct 2024

Posted by in Agents, NFL draft, NIL, Scouts

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Today, I didn’t have any topics I wanted to spend 500 words on, but I had a lot of topics I wanted to spend 100 words on, so here’s a bunch of stuff I found interesting this week.

  • Has Pittsburgh cracked the code on how to intelligently integrate former NFL scouts and executives into the organization in a way that helps identify, grade and reward top performers? Maybe. Per this story, the Panthers have brought in former Bills GM Doug Whaley to help in doling out a $6 million NIL budget based on quality of play. Given the team’s success this season (7-0 entering this weekend’s game against SMU), maybe head coach Pat Narduzzi’s plan to pay players based on production rather than promise will be replicated elsewhere.
  • Mark your calendars: the final resolution of the NCAA’s $2.7 billion deal with the plaintiff attorneys seeking NIL compensation in a class action lawsuit (for players dating back to 2016) is set for April 2025. The agreement is expected to clear the way for a $20 million-per-school tranche of money to be shared with players who participated in NCAA athletics from 2016-21. It also clears the way for schools to begin operating in ways that closely mirror a pay-for-play model, rather than the current system (which pretends that players only get compensated for their respective names, images and likenesses). Bottom line, during a time when all eyes will be focused on the 2025 draft, we could see federal and NCAA oversight of NIL representation change in radical ways. The impact of those changes could be immediate. We will do what we can to prepare you, our client, for those changes well in advance. 
  • Based on feedback from new agents this fall, the stories haven’t changed much over the years. One agent was contacted by the alleged uncle of a star player, only the uncle wouldn’t tell the agent who the player was (he would only divulge the player’s school and home location, and offered that the player is a mid-round pick). The uncle said the player’s focus is newly certified contract advisors, for some reason. We’ve also heard of a runner in South Florida who’s tried to solicit members of the 2024 agent class and wants money up front, with a promise of players later. 
  • So far, the only head coaching changes this season have been made at the G5 level. Maybe that’s why no search firms have been engaged so far, at least as far as we know. Last year, 17 G5 schools made head coaching changes. Of the 17, less than half (eight) used assistance. Of the 14 P4 schools making changes, not surprisingly, 11 hired firms.   

One other thing. If you’re a new agent (or a veteran agent trying to figure out how to keep up with the exploding costs of player representation), you should check out today’s Rep Rumblings at ITL. We’re trying to finalize a program that you might find helpful. 

We’ll also discuss it in the Friday Wrap. You can register for it here. 

Three Reasons Why Scouts Miss on Picks

25 Friday Oct 2024

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At Inside the League, we take pride in advocating for the NFL agent and scouting communities. Part of that is championing traditional methods of player representation and evaluation; in most cases, we feel like the old way is the best. Still, that doesn’t mean the tried and true methods are always right. Scouts get it wrong, and sometimes, outrageously wrong.

In this excerpt from our coming book on the 2016 NFL Draft, tentatively called The Crazy Eight because it focuses on the draft stories of eight standout players from the ’16 draft class, we discuss three reasons why NFL teams miss on players. This is just a small sample of the reasons why, in the book, we discuss the myriad reasons why scouting is such a tough profession.

Protection of players by the schools: Some programs go to great lengths to paint sunny pictures of their players, hoping to enhance their NFL chances by keeping secrets. More often than not, this just activates a scout’s antennae. Does it ultimately hurt a school’s players? Does it help them? It’s hard to know, but either way, it creates uncertainty and a harder road to familiarity for scouts, who despise unfilled blanks. In ITL’s weekly newsletter, the Friday Wrap, we seek feedback from NFL evaluators on the schools they love and love to hate, and Rutgers (at least in 2024) falls squarely into the latter category. That’s because the order has come down from head coach Greg Schiano that only positive feedback will come out of any Scarlet Knight officials. Will this impact his players negatively in April 2025? Maybe. Maybe not. But it certainly explains why some of them may have very different NFL fortunes than they deserve.

Drafting for need: Free agency takes place in March. The draft takes place at the end of April. This means, teams tend to look to the draft to finish their shopping lists instead of simply taking the best player available. The teams that often do best on draft day often pick head-scratchers if looked at simply on need. The Packers got plenty of criticism for drafting Utah State’s Jordan Love with a healthy and productive Aaron Rodgers still around, but after a few uncomfortable years, who’s laughing now? The Vikings drafted Marshall’s Randy Moss in 1998 despite having Jake Reed and Cris Carter on the roster. The Saints drafted Ole Miss’ Deuce McCallister in 2001 after trading their entire draft (literally) to get Ricky Williams out of Texas just two seasons earlier. I could go on. Sometimes (often?) drafting for need works, but the best-drafting teams tend to stick to their respective boards.

Fear of media reprisals: Ask any GM or executive if the media plays any role in who gets picked and you’ll get an eye roll. Maybe that’s technically true, but in subtle ways, the media (and especially social media) play a role. That’s especially true when a prospect has a spotty background that warrants extra scrutiny. We’ve seen the reaction when Ole Miss’ Laremy Tunsil had an indiscretion on video shortly before the draft, and we’ve seen it with West Alabama’s Tyreek Hill after his incident at Oklahoma State. It’s also important to note that owners read all the websites and spend a lot of time weighing the impact of certain players on the team’s profile in the community and, obviously, they have full veto powers. Some of them exercise it.

Five Qualities Owners Want in GM Hires

18 Friday Oct 2024

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We’re getting toward midseason and the good teams are starting to sort themselves out from the bad ones. Maybe that’s one of the reasons the topic of new GMs came up in this week’s edition of the Scouting the League podcast. It’s something I hadn’t really given much thought until this week, but there are definite “traits” — as Rodrik described them.  

In the old days, you were looking for a guy with decades of experience, probably from within your own organization, to come in and “fix” the franchise – hire a head coach, draft all the players, sign all the free agents, and create a culture (Bill Polian, Jim Finks, Ernie Accorsi, Ron Wolf, Bobby Beathard.) Today, it’s very different. Here are things that I’ve observed owners to prefer in a GM candidate.

It’s important to come from a successful program: Most teams used to have a line of succession in-house, but more recently, owners look outside the franchise to a team that’s a proven winner. For the past 10 years, we’ve seen owners pick off the Patriots tree (Bob Quinn in Detroit, Nick Caserio in Houston, Jon Robinson in Tennessee, Monti Ossenfort in Arizona, Dave Ziegler in Las Vegas, Eliot Wolf in New England and Jason Licht in Tampa). More recently, we’re seeing them pick from the 49ers tree (Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in Minnesota, Martin Mayhew and then Adam Peters in Washington, Ran Carthon in Tennessee and Trent Baalke in Jacksonville). 

Having a background on the road is not enough: In the past, you were looking for a pure evaluator to run the draft for you. However, more recently, we’ve seen owners bring in cap guys to be part of the GM structure (Carolina) and we’ve seen more analytics-minded hires (Minnesota), especially with teams owned by “new guard” owners who are more from the business world than the football world. We’re seeing more and more scouts/executives come to us for CBA/cap work than we did five years ago. 

Youth and appearance: I think we’re in an era where it’s important to “win the press conference,” and it’s easier to do that with a hot new name, especially if that person is on the young side. George Paton in Denver, Jerry Jones in Dallas, Tom Telesco in Las Vegas, Chris Grier in Miami and Mickey Loomis in New Orleans are among the few over 50. You also want someone who looks sharp and professional. You don’t see any GMs who are overweight, and I think that’s because they are part of the face of the franchise. That may be unfair, and it probably is, but it’s still true. 

Good representation: Scouts always tell me they are lightly regarded within their own staffs but when they get accolades outside the team, that’s when owners/executives take notice. This is why it’s been cool to start the BART List to give the unsung scouts out there some recognition. Media can help with that, too, and media attention usually comes from the agencies, especially the bigger ones. This probably isn’t necessary until a scout gets to the director level; if you’re a scouting assistant, hold your horses and prove yourself first.

An impressive alma mater: You might not think that where you went to school matters when it comes to football acumen, but you may not think like the modern NFL owner. They are used to working with upper-level professionals with strong pedigrees, and they see their general managers as just such people. So if not Ivy League, a GM today needs a degree from Northwestern, Duke, Vanderbilt, or other comparable schools, at least in most cases.

We’ll discuss this topic and more in the Friday Wrap, our free weekly newsletter that goes out to members of the football industry. Register for it here.

There Are Many Roads to NFL Scouting Jobs

11 Friday Oct 2024

Posted by in Getting started, Scouts

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Next week, we’ll start our team-by-team breakdowns of the front offices of all 32 teams. It’s our Know Your Scouts series, and it takes place each fall. The goal is to really drill into the scouting backgrounds of evaluators on all 32 teams with an eye toward providing tips that might help in getting a job.

Here are a few things people that reviewed last year’s Know Your Scouts series might have learned before “scout hiring season” (roughly March through July).

  • Most aspiring scouts spend all their time poring over film and rating players on social media, but learning other skills might get you a leg up. Consider that 15 current members of NFL front offices have video production skills and worked on that side either in the NFL, the college level, or the media. They include Jay Mandolesi and Dan Zbojovsky (Jets); Robert Haines (Panthers); Greg Reuveni (Raiders); Brian Hill (Rams); Casey Weidl (Steelers); Blaise Taggart (Texans); Mike Sholiton (Vikings); Bryan Chesin (Broncos); Minh Luu (Dolphins); Jeremy Gray and Matt Holland (Eagles); Sal Conti and Ben Martinez (Falcons); and Justin Markus (Giants). 
  • Being handy with the media doesn’t hurt, either. Alex Valles (Cardinals) once worked with broadcasters for the Red Sox. Marquis Pendleton (Giants) started out as a media services intern with the team. Same for Rob Hanrahan (Panthers), Ryan Monnens (Vikings) and Dave Bratten (Broncos). Ryan Doyal (Falcons) worked for NFL Films before making his way to Atlanta. Brad Obee (Eagles) worked for NFL Matchup on ESPN. Cassidy Kaminski (Chiefs) wrote for Ourlad’s from 2015-18.
  • There’s also equipment. Sam DeLuca and Blaine Gramer (Vikings); Dan Zegers (Browns); Zach Smith (Bucs); Alfonza Knight (Cardinals); Ethan Brodsky and Chris Hobbs (Chargers); Todd Vasvari and Andrew Hoyle (Colts); Chase Leshin (Dolphins); Casey Belongia (Patriots); Chris Nolan (Jets); Patrick Mularkey and Dakota Duncan (Lions); Josh Graff (Seahawks); Bailee Brown (Texans); and Martinez (Falcons).
  • Even a job in the marketing department can lead to a scouting career, as it did for Chris McGaha (Colts), John McKay (Rams), Justin Matthews (Saints) and Ryan Gold (Cardinals). 
  • John Mancini (Cardinals) even started out in tickets. He’s believed to be the only scout with such a beginning.

There are other alternate paths. Richard Sanders (Falcons) spent 10 years in the Coast Guard before pursuing football. Kathleen Wood (Browns) spent a decade-plus as a private investigator. 

The point is, get inside the building, then figure out a way to the scouting department. How do you do that? You can start by being prepared for that time of year; usually, hiring and interviewing takes place in March and April, though it’s better to get an early start on sending out your resume than a late one. Join us at Inside the League as we start breaking down the various paths scouts pursued on their way to their pro dreams with our Know Your Scouts series. I also recommend signing up for our free newsletter, the Friday Wrap. You won’t be sorry. 

Is Being An NFL Agent An Addiction? Sure Looks Like It

04 Friday Oct 2024

Posted by in Agents, Getting started

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When someone tells me they want to pursue NFL agent certification, I usually try to talk them out of it. If they persist, I leave them with this: people normally only hang up their certification voluntarily for four reasons. They are:

  • Divorce
  • Bankruptcy
  • Litigation
  • All three.

They usually laugh (nervously) and go on about their plans. 

I’ll sometimes also remind them of one veteran agent’s “gallows humorish” quote shared with me a few years ago. Once again, they treat me like I’m joking. My point is, the feel of being an NFL agent is something that’s more than intoxicating. It’s addictive. This week, we saw another reminder of this with the return of Ron Del Duca and Jeff Guerriero.

Both Del Duca and Guerriero enjoyed success in their first respective runs at player representation. Del Duca was an agent for almost two decades before turning over his agent creds sometime in the last 5-10 years. Guerriero actually represented the No. 6 pick in the draft, LSU DE Barkevious Mingo, in 2013, before getting out in a similar time frame. As recently as 11 years ago, both Del Duca and Guerriero had clients on NFL rosters. However, with Del Duca originally certified in 1992 and Guerriero in 1997, both came of age as agents in a time prior to the signing of the 2011 CBA, when NFL owners basically took away negotiating skills as an agent’s most important trait. When draft picks’ contracts all became cookie cutter in 2011, the lavishing of benefits (in the form of splashy combine training, per diems, signing bonuses, and fee cuts) really went into overdrive. It makes sense. Everyone had to find a way to distinguish themselves from the others, and money’s always a popular way. That’s not to say that “skins on the wall” don’t matter anymore, but experience has begun to hold less and less sway. The “what do I get?” conversation is the one that every agent dreads, and it’s not going away. In fact, it’s only moving up in the time frame for most players in the NIL era. 

Will Del Duca and Guerriero reach their previous heights? Who knows? But this is the landscape they face.

  • The fight now — for every agency, big and small — is for Day 3 types. Generally speaking, all the Day 1 and Day 2 types are already signed to NIL agreements, which gives the NIL agent a generous head start on repping the player on his NFL contracts. That means agents now have to closely monitor and sign the sleepers in each draft class. This is why former Titans scouting executive Blake Beddingfield is now providing 5-7 under-the-radar-and-rising prospects weekly for ITL subscribers.
  • No one, and I mean NO ONE, doesn’t expect $10,000-$15,000 worth of combine training. There are no shortcuts there. At least not for players with any kind of real hope. 
  • There’s total uncertainty about how the federal government and/or the NCAA will rule in the next 10 years with regard to college athlete payments. If college players are made professionals (which everyone expects), it may be a net positive for player representation. However, it threatens to add layers of regulation, and usually that means costs increase even more. 

I wish the best of luck to Del Duca, Guerriero, and everyone else who recently got the good news that they are certified as contract advisors by the NFLPA. But there’s no denying they have a hard road ahead.

 

 

NFL Agent Basics Zooms 2024: A Few More Points

25 Wednesday Sep 2024

Posted by in Agents, combine prep, Getting started

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As I write this, we have just one more session left (tonight, 8 p.m. ET) in our NFL Agent Basics series of Zooms for members of the 2024 class. So far, though I was hoping each session would be about an hour long, we’ve provided five hours of content over three Zooms (two last week, one this week). 

Tuesday of last week, we focused on all things money and finances. Wednesday, it was recruiting and finding your first client. Last night was all about combine prep and deciding on the best way to train your client(s). Tonight, we’ll discuss scouting and how to build a network. 

Since our session last night on combine prep, there are a few things I wish I’d emphasized more. Rather than call everyone back for more (we went 100+ minutes last night), I thought it better to just put them in today’s blog.

Here goes:

  • Recognize that your training relationships will be some of the most important ones you build in the industry, so find reputable trainers and trust them (or at least give them the benefit of the doubt). If you feel you are getting a raw deal, try not to burn a bridge. The football world is a very small one and you don’t want a reputation for volatility. Not sure if your trainer is reputable? Let’s talk.
  • Look at your relationship with a trainer as collaborative more so than service provider/customer. This is why it’s very important to build a good rapport so there are no surprises at the NFL Combine or pro day. You want your client’s trainer to be comfortable sharing bad news.
  • Don’t put anything in a training rider that you aren’t willing to enforce.
  • Your client may not be comfortable in the first training facility he chooses, and might want to transfer. If this is the case, explain what restrictions, if any, you place on his next training choice, and how quickly he must come to this decision.
  • Understand that the player usually comes to see his trainer as his advocate, and often will choose the trainer over you. It’s not fair, but it’s true. 
  • Sometimes, players get hurt when training. Work out all the issues beforehand on insurance policies, who pays in the instance of injury, etc. I promise you won’t be sorry later if you do this.
  • There are times when players don’t take good care of where they stay. Find a way to diplomatically set expectations on how your client leaves his residence post-training, as well as how he maintains it during training. If he breaks something, or trashes the place, do you pick up the tab? 
  • If you choose to rent a car for your client (and we discussed several things we recommend as alternatives), make sure to opt into the insurance plan.
  • There is always a lot of shock when we discuss the cost and value of combine prep, and this is the area where every new agent thinks he’s gonna save money. OK, but understand that, generally speaking, you get what you pay for when it comes to combine prep. Don’t believe me? Check this out. 

Want more? All of our sessions so far have been recorded, as will tonight’s session. All four are available for $350, and it’s not too late to join us tonight as former Falcons and Titans scout Rodrik David joins me as we break down all you need to know about the NFL scouting industry at 8 p.m. ET. I hope you can join us. 

2024 NFL Agent Basics Zooms: Week 1 Highlights

19 Thursday Sep 2024

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This week, we began teaching about 30 newly certified NFL contract advisors the fundamentals of player representation. Our focus was on giving them everything they’ll need for their first year of working with players.

Our topics this week were money on Tuesday and recruiting on Wednesday. We were joined by Christ Turnage of UA Sports on Tuesday and Aston Wilson of Agency1 Athlete Management on Wednesday. Next week, we’ll focus on training and combine prep on Tuesday and building your scouting network on Wednesday.

Here are a few highlights from this week’s sessions.

  • Wednesday night, I knew we would be discussing how to make contact with prospects, so I reached out to several new and newish agents for ideas on what to say that evening. Obviously, social media is key, but just bombing them with DMs probably won’t work. “When you see something happens big for them, you have to leave a congratulatory note . . . birthday, baby shower, engagement (fiancé), family member events . . . You have to acknowledge those things to build rapport,” suggested one agent. “I also have used a (WhitePages.com) subscription before to pull numbers and email addresses,” said another contract advisor. The key is to use social media to let the player know you’re rooting for him. “The kid we’re (recruiting now) was a kid who followed us on Instagram,” offered one agent. “I never messaged him. He had a good game . . . and I messaged him, ‘big win.’ He responded right away and I knew we had something.” One more piece of advice: “Make sure you are strategic with your target. UDFA/potential Day 3 guy and you may get a response.”
  • I hoped that the cost of representing a player would have declined (or at least stayed the same) since I wrote this post in 2015. What I found, unfortunately, is that it has risen to the $12,000-$14,000 range. Of course, you can sign players without any investment, but you get what you pay for.
  • Having legitimate contract advisors with years of experience has been a tremendous part of the program. For example, Chris had great advice on how to save money on rental cars. Aston had great advice on how to get a player into an all-star game (and make sure the player understands who got him there). Their contributions are part of the reason that, though we promised hour-long sessions, we went 90 minutes on Tuesday and a full two hours on Wednesday.
  • You’ve got to be able to walk away. That’s one of the main takeaways from Tuesday.  “I had a defensive end that I was recruiting,” Chris said. “I think he was gonna be a high PFA at the time. He said, ‘hey, this first-year agent is offering me a $10,000 signing bonus. If you can match, I’m gonna go with you. I said, ‘I’m not gonna match that, based on where you’re projected. I’m not doing that. He went with the first-year agent and he didn’t get drafted and he got cut off the 90 and he never played again. So that (agent) dropped 10 grand on him to get him, but it wasn’t worth it.”
  • Chris on holding the line at billing the full three percent on every contract: “My background is in banking, and they always told us not to compete on price. . . if you train your (potential) client that you’re going to compete on price, guess what: they’re gonna leave you on price as well. So you have to provide value outside of price.”
  • The temptation, as a new agent, is to sign someone from FBS (or even Division II or III) as your first client, but Wednesday, Aston said he doesn’t recommend it. “If you’re signing a player who’s not at an FBS school, he’s gotta be the best player you’ve ever seen play football,” Aston said. “Don’t think, ‘oh, I’ve got this diamond in the rough at James Madison.’ Don’t do that, because the odds aren’t in your favor.”
  • By the way, the feedback from our sessions so far has been fantastic. “Mannn these sessions have been priceless,” said one participant. “A lot of the questions I had or was unsure about have been getting answered or put to bed.” Said another: “Neil, great session last night. Really informative.”  

If you’re reading this and you’d like to join us, even if you’re not certified yet (but especially if you are), we’d love to have you. Cost is $350 (no tax), and you’ll get each of the two videos from this week as well as a chance to join us for both sessions next week. For even more information on our New Agent Basics course (and ITL), sign up for our weekly newsletter. 

By the Numbers: Position Scarcity in the 2024 Draft Class (and others)

13 Friday Sep 2024

Posted by in Agents, Getting started, NFL draft

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This week, I finally got a chance to finish up the 2024 Draft By the Numbers grid. It always provides an interesting look at different draft classes. As a reminder, we take a look at every position (QB, RB, WR, TE, OC, OG, OT, PK, PT, CB, DE, DT, ILB, OLB, FS, SS and CB) based on eight categories, from signing with an agent to making a 53 or practice squad.

Here are a few thoughts:

  • It was a great year to sign a center. This year, a fourth of them were drafted and more than 60 percent made it to a 90-man roster. Last year, the same number of centers were signed by agents (44) but only a third of them (36 percent) made it to camp and eight were drafted. Last year was a lot closer to normal numbers. Generally speaking, if you’re an agent, stay away from centers.
  • On the other hand, signing a tackle is as close to a guaranteed player on a camp roster as you’ll find. This year, two-thirds of all tackles who signed with agents made it to a 90-man roster, while a third (!!!) were drafted. If you factor in tryout players, almost 90 percent made it at least as far as rookie mini-camp. That’s unbelievable. 
  • Incidentally, only twice in the last 10 years have half of offensive tackles signed by agents not made it to a 90-man roster. Think about that. Getting a player into camp is the biggest challenge an independent agent faces, yet he’s got a 50-50 chance on every client if he just signs tackles.
  • One more point to make about tackles: 32.5 percent of all the tackles signed for the 2024 draft class were drafted. Only three positions had half as many drafted, percentage-wise: cornerbacks (19.2 percent), defensive tackles (17.2 percent) and defensive ends (16.6 percent). 
  • Defensive ends and defensive tackles are a pretty good bet, as well. Generally speaking, both are drafted or signed as UDFAs at about a 40-45 percent rate. 
  • At the other end of the spectrum, among regular position players, both free safeties (9.6 percent) and outside linebackers (8.9 percent) got drafted at less than a 10 percent rate. Those were the lowest rates, not counting fullbacks. Last year, the lowest rate was at strong safety (10.3) and inside linebacker (8.8 percent). Generally speaking, linebackers and safeties are the least-drafted positions.  
  • Wide receivers (253) and cornerbacks (182) were the most popular positions with agents this year, and that’s not unusual. In the last 10 years, wide receiver has been the most popular client every year (the high-water mark was 313 in 2016). Likewise, cornerback has been second-most popular all 10 years.
  • Come draft time, wide receivers are normally drafted at a 10 percent rate and cornerbacks at a 15 percent rate. 

I know if you’re a scout, or even a seasoned agent, these numbers probably don’t matter. However, if you’re a new or newish agent, it pays to get a look at the analytics before you start recruiting. Make sure to review the numbers yourself over the last decade before you start deciding who you’re going to target for 2025.