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Succeed in Football

Tag Archives: NFL draft

The Box

16 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by itlneil in Agents, Scouts

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

NFL agent, NFL draft, NFL Scouting, Parents

As we wind down the college football season, I’m getting more and more calls from agents and parents on issues regarding the 2016 draft. Some are related to agent selection, and many are related to leaving early. Maybe you have similar questions. This week, I’m going to discuss these topics and the different factors associated with the topic.

Today, I got a call from a recently certified agent who’s been in talks with a redshirt junior at a major BCS school. The young man is a receiver, and my friend asked what he should tell the young man, who’s strongly weighing departing for the draft.

The first thing I asked was, does he have the ‘three legs of the stool,’ i.e., size, speed and production? The agent responded that he has two of them: he’s put up wild numbers this year, and he believes the young man has sub-4.5 speed. The only problem is that he’s well below 6-feet tall. Though that’s not a deal-breaker, it’s become an important box to check. Of the 263 receivers who opened the season on NFL rosters, 193 were 6-0 or taller. What’s more, there are only 44 receivers under 5-11 in the league, and over the last three draft classes, only 32 are under 6-feet; 19 were undrafted free agents.

It all added up to a young man who probably fits as a late-round selection and maybe a camp guy.

On the other hand, he’s got enough credits to graduate. He’s fully healthy; there’s no guarantee the same will be true this time next year (and scouts are not especially forgiving). There’s a great chance one or more of the coaches on staff will be elsewhere next season, as well as his quarterback. In other words, he’s in a box.

My friend really wants to do what’s best for the young man, but he’s in a box, too. He’s already talked to scouting sources who’ve drawn the same conclusion. He can recommend that the young man put his name in with the draft advisory board, but given the new way the board is handling reviews, it’s unlikely there will be any useful information.

If he recommends that the kid go back for his senior year, he comes across as education-oriented and well-meaning, but if there’s an injury, it may dash the young man’s chance to do something special. If he encourages the receiver to leave early, he may look like the stereotypical greedy agent if he goes undrafted.

Unfortunately, many young men are facing a similar dilemma. There’s no clear, cut-and-dried answer. That’s what makes this time of year so difficult.

This week, we’ll discuss the factors one must use to make this decision. We’ll discuss the factors one must consider when seeking feedback from scouts, coaches and family members, and we’ll handle other questions we get via Twitter or in the comments section of this post. If you know someone facing this dilemma, I hope you’ll encourage him to check us out this week.

 

A Key Marker for NFL Success

05 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by itlneil in Coaches

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NFL draft, NFL Front Office

Last year I did a report on how the league was made up, based on opening-week rosters. I analyzed a lot of things about the league, but today, I want to focus on the teams that drafted the most players into the league because I think it’s a good baseline indicator of which teams do the best job of drafting.

As you may recall, last year’s report indicated that the teams that had drafted the most players into the league were the 49ers (59), Packers (54), Steelers (53), Ravens (51) and Texans, Patriots and Seahawks, all tied with 49. Last year, six of the seven had winning records, five of the seven made the playoffs, and two of the seven played in the Super Bowl.

This year, the Pack leads with 56, followed by the Niners (55), Steelers (52), Texans (51) and Bengals (50).

Last year’s bottom five were the Saints and Redskins, tied for last with 32 each, followed by the Bears with 33 draftees, the Bills with 34 and the Browns and Colts with 37 each. This year, the Giants are all alone at the bottom with 30; Tampa Bay next to last (31), Washington (32), and the Colts and the Bears with 36 each.

What does it all mean? Here’s how I see it.

  • The Packers are highly regarded for their draft acumen and that’s proven by the numbers. It’s one reason the Packers always challenge for the title, and also perhaps the reason other highly successful teams (like the Chiefs and Seahawks) are there because they brought their GMs in from Green Bay.
  • It seems clear that a good QB can mask a lot of deficiencies. It struck me as odd going into last season that two of the worst-drafting teams, the Colts and Saints, were seen as Super Bowl contenders. We know now that the Saints were nowhere near worthy of that hype, and a year later, the Colts are seeing a similar dip. After a mighty fall to the bottom of the ‘total players drafted’ standings this year, it could be curtains for the Giants if something were to happen to Eli.
  • Conversely, a bad quarterback can kill a team’s chances despite a generally high talent level. The Niners and Texans were both top-five teams last year when it comes to identifying talent, but you could argue that those two teams have gotten the worst QB play in the league so far this season.
  • Last year, of the six teams at the bottom, three either changed GMs (Redskins and Bears), cleaned house in the scouting department (Saints), or had second-year GMs (Bills and Browns). That leaves just one outlier.
  • I’m looking at you, Ryan Grigson.  As recently as 2012, Grigson was Executive of the Year, but now, the case is being made by the Colts faithful that it’s time for him to move on. Grigson has made a series of questionable trades and seems to lean on the AFL, the CFL and even the NFL Veterans Combine and the Super Regional to sign players ‘off the street’ when the team should maybe look harder at the draft. It’s coming home to roost.

A Viewer’s Guide to Draft Coverage

06 Monday Apr 2015

Posted by itlneil in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

NFL draft

Now that we’re less than 30 days from the draft, you may be doing plenty of Googling your favorite team’s draft needs and trying to read everything you can on who they may be drafting. Here are a few things to remember.

  • It’s all based on clicks: One of my good friends runs a football site, and even though it’s relatively new, he’s gotten pretty good traction and is making money with it. How? He’s learned that people will click on any link if it includes their favorite player. So, for instance, he publishes something on Andrew Luck — and I mean anything — and then spends all his time placing it on message boards, Bleacher Report comment sections, any anything fan-based that will get him clicks. Here’s what’s interesting: he has his interns write his stories, and really doesn’t care about the content. He knows no one is editing it and that, in the long run, he doesn’t even care if it’s quality work. He just wants to get people to hit his link. That’s where the money is. So keep that in mind when your team is the Patriots and some website says they’re looking Mariota or Winston.
  • Not even NFL teams know how the draft is going to go: I remember a couple years ago a scout telling me his team was having its personnel staff rank undrafted free agents. They were ranking players they didn’t think were worth drafting. That’s ludicrous. Every year, several players a team rated as draftable fall through the cracks. In fact, probably at least half of players that go undrafted held draftable grades by at least half the teams. That’s why guys that are rated as undrafted free agents are the ones that will be lucky to actually be undrafted free agents. Those guys are the ones that held a fifth- to seventh-round grade.
  • Trading down is way easier said than done: It seems so elementary that a team that has a high pick can trade down and get a bunch of lower picks, and it’s all even Steven. In fact, this whole chart is predicated on this idea, but it rarely works out that way. There are salary considerations, plus the ‘sum’ of an impact player in the first round is rarely worth the ‘parts’ — the later-round picks obtained in return — received in return. So when you start seeing those rumors about massive trades up and down, take them with several grains of salt.

A tale of two dads

24 Friday Oct 2014

Posted by itlneil in Uncategorized

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NFL draft, NFL Prospects, Parents

As you know if you read this blog, I have a free newsletter detailing the pre-NFL draft process that I send at no charge to parents of NFL draft prospects. As a result, as I’ve promoted this, I’ve had a lot of conversations with fathers of players hoping to be drafted next spring.

Two dads I spoke to recently were polar opposites, one a perfect example of the way parents should be and one more closely resembling the way they (unfortunately) sometimes are.

We’ll start with the one that maybe doesn’t yet get it. He called because he wanted to interview me before consenting to receive the newsletter; his son is most likely strictly a camp guy, though I didn’t dare tell him that.

From the moment we started talking, I knew he was very skeptical that I had anything to offer. He’d ask a question and I’d answer it, followed by a long pause, as if he weren’t impressed and was looking for something more. At one point he asked how I got paid, even though I had already told him (over and over) that what we were discussing came with no obligations whatsoever. When I finally conceded that mine was a subscriber service, though that was completely separate from the newsletter, he chuckled. I guess he was looking for an apology for my running a for-profit service. But that’s not really what bothered me.

What bothered me was that when we were finishing things up, and I was trying to patiently reiterate what I had already told him — that though there was plenty of ‘draft information’ on the web, the data I was offering was tailor-made for him — he was pretty dismissive. “There’s lots of information on the Internet, and you can find anything,” he assured me. “The problem is finding out what’s reliable and what isn’t.”

We closed with him informing me that he’d talk to his son and that they would decide if the promise of my (free) newsletter was worth their time. I’m going to go ahead with my life rather than waiting for that call.

The other dad I spoke to has been a pleasure because he really ‘gets it.’ We spoke just this week for the first time, and before we did, I called around and did a little legwork on where his son stood as a prospect. As I feared, I got back that his son is a solid college player who probably figures as a late-rounder or perhaps priority free agent.

When we got to the part where I wanted to offer up the scouts’ opinion, I remember wincing as I began. How would he react? What would his response be? I was pleasantly surprised. “That’s pretty much what we expected,” he said. The rest of our conversation continued in that vein, with him asking detailed questions about the process and my opinion on a smart course of action. It was refreshing to speak to a parent who is invested in his son’s career, but clearly hasn’t put blinders on. He knows and values the opportunity that’s ahead for his son and realizes not to take it for granted.

Maybe that’s what makes me the most frustrated by the other father. As a father myself, I try to remember that the things that make my boys special to my wife and me are maybe not so rare. But the number of young men who’ve had a little college success and aspire to an NFL career is NOT rare. Not by a long shot.

Wherever you are in your career — parent of aspiring player, aspiring football professional, media, current NFL agent, whatever — be reasonable in your approach, and understand that the place you want to be isn’t assured. It will make things a lot easier as you hit bumps in the road.

Straining the draft a little more

20 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by itlneil in Scouts

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NFL draft, NFL Scouting

There seems to have been a significant amount of interest in Friday’s report examining the relative value and endurance of draft picks by round. With that in mind, we went back 10 years to look for more trends, this time sifting out by year.

  • If there’s a formula or trend for figuring out what percentage of a draft class drops off every year, I can’t find it.
  • I guess, in general, each draft class shrinks by about 10 percent annually, though that trend only really works for the first five years. After that, the proving seems to end and the veterans that have stayed through that long weeding-out process have more league stamina.
  • For example, 93 percent of the 2014 draft is active on 53-man rosters or practice squads, which is pretty standard. About 85 percent of the ’13 class is still around, while 75.1 percent of ’12 remains; 61.4 percent of 2011; 54.1 percent of ’10, and 42.6 percent of ’09.
  • After that, however, at that six-year mark, cuts curb sharply. For example, there’s only a 4.5 percent dropoff between 2009 (42.6 percent) and 2008 (38 percent). From there, we see a 10 percent drop again to ’07 (27.4), but there are actually more 2006 players still active (71 vs. 70, or 27.8 percent of ’06) from the ’06 class than from the ’07 class.
  • On Friday, we rolled out the teams that have the most picks still in the league. We feel it’s a good, objective way to measure which teams are able to locate the best talent that translates across team schemes, philosophies, etc. It’s just a way to find out who can locate good football players. The 49ers came out on top, so we went back five years (to the 2010 draft) to see which teams had the most players still active since then compared to the number of players they picked.
  • Once again, the Niners came out on top with 42 of their 48 picks since ’10 still active in the league, or 87.5 percent. That’s outstanding. Also picking exceptionally well since 2010 were the Broncos, Texans and Jets, all of them at 81 percent or better.
  • This probably explains why the Texans, despite cratering completely last year, have bounced right back to respectability this year, while the Niners and Broncos remain two of the league’s top franchises year in and year out. As for the Jets, it may be an indication that the team has performed at least marginally well the last 3-4 years despite, not because of, Rex Ryan.
  • The bottom of the barrel? It’s a good thing the Colts got Andrew Luck right and have had success finding bargains in undrafted free agency and other leagues. At 60 percent (21 of 35), they’re all alone on the bottom. Joining them in the bottom five are the Panthers (61.1), Redskins (61.9), Bills (64.3) and Eagles (64.6).

The 2014 NFL lineup and the draft

17 Friday Oct 2014

Posted by itlneil in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

NFL draft, NFL Prospects

After dissecting the makeup of the NFL’s rosters as of the opening week of 2014, let’s wrap things by looking at the lasting value of draft position.

  • It’s probably no surprise that there are more first-rounders in the league (276) than any other round. That’s about 50 more than there are second-rounders (228). Given how much money first-rounders are making, plus the stigma attached to a team that has to cut a first-rounder, it’s doubtful this will ever change.
  • In the old days, the marquee rounds were seen as the first three. However, in recent years, there’s a perception that the pool of likely draft successes actually goes four rounds deep. That’s borne out by the numbers this year. There are at least 200 players drafted in each of the first four rounds still active in the league, and there are actually more fourth-rounders (214) than third-rounders (201). What’s more, the difference between the number of fourth-rounders and second rounders (228) is minimal.
  • Speaking in round numbers, each of the first four rounds make up about 10 percent of the league (though first-rounders approach 13 percent), while the final three rounds are about seven percent of the league each.
  • Undrafted free agents, as we mentioned a week ago, make up about a third of the league.
  • Rounds 5-7 seem far more disposable. What’s especially interesting is that the number of each of the last three rounds still active is about the same. In fact, there are more seventh-rounders active in the league (158) than there are fifth-rounders (154). There are more sixth-rounders than either (164).
  • The Browns (36), Saints (37), Bucs (38) and Panthers (38) seem to the teams most open to undrafted free agents. On the other hand, the Falcons and Titans (50 each) put the most weight on drafted players.
  • What team drafted the most players still active in the league? It’s the 49ers, and by a wide margin, with 59. The Packers are No. 2 (54). Rounding out the top five, it’s the Steelers (53), Ravens (51) and Texans, Patriots and Seahawks, all tied with 49.
  • Who has the least? The Saints and Redskins are tied with bringing in the least amount of talent via draft with 32 each. The Bears have 33 draftees in the league, while the Bills have 34 and the Browns and Colts have 37 each.

Totals as of Sept. 2014

Team Total
San Francisco 49ers 59
Pittsburgh Steelers 56
Green Bay Packers 55
Houston Texans 51
Philadelphia Eagles 51
New England Patriots 50
Baltimore Ravens 49
Seattle Seahawks 49
Cincinnati Bengals 48
Dallas Cowboys 48
Miami Dolphins 48
New York Jets 47
Atlanta Falcons 46
Denver Broncos 46
Minnesota Vikings 44
Oakland Raiders 44
Jacksonville Jaguars 43
Tennessee Titans 43
Arizona Cardinals 42
Carolina Panthers 42
San Diego Chargers 42
Buffalo Bills 41
Detroit Lions 41
St. Louis Rams 41
Kansas City Chiefs 40
New York Giants 39
Cleveland Browns 36
Indianapolis Colts 36
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 36
Chicago Bears 33
Washington Redskins 32
New Orleans Saints 31

The Media and the NFL Draft

19 Tuesday Aug 2014

Posted by itlneil in Scouts

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NFL draft, NFL Prospects, NFL Scouting

In the course of interviewing former Dolphins scout Mike Murphy about his experiences in 18 years as an NFL scout with four teams, I asked a question I always pose to ex-scouts: what effect, if any, does the media (beat writers, draft ‘gurus,’ ‘Twitter’ scouts, etc.) have on the draft process? Does it ever influence what teams do?

I found his answer interesting.

“I know if you are a good scout, then all other outside influences will not impact one’s opinion. Scouts (for the most part) are paid well and paid for ‘their opinion.’ Stick to it, right or wrong. You are trying to make your team the best it can be, and most GM or head coaches do not want ‘yes’ people.

“I have been around a few that would (pay attention to Internet scouts and media) and (who) have been influenced tremendously by what mock drafts say, and have gotten themselves and the organization in trouble. Those individuals in the media, etc., get their information from somewhere. Most of the time it comes from someone in an organization. Those individuals don’t know what your team needs are (and) what your emphasis is on a position. They could be wrong, not know the rest of the country and how a player stacks up against others, medical history or mental issues. So why would you listen to it or let it sway your opinion? Trust in your scouts, and scouts, trust in your ability to evaluate players.  The other is best left for the armchair QB.”

Mike makes the presumption that draft scouts “get their information from somewhere.” I’m not sure I agree. Obviously, the Mayocks, the Kipers and the McShays of the world get insider info to compile their reports and form their opinions, but I’m not sure how pervasive this is. My experience has been that the overwhelming majority of mock drafts are modifications of other mock drafts. It’s a ‘monkey see, monkey do’ proposition. Still, if NFL scouts are aware enough of what’s out there that they actually have formed an opinion, there’s no question it’s having an effect on things.

I had a conversation with former Redskins and Texans GM Charley Casserly many years ago, and he basically dismissed mock drafts and the like as bathroom reading material.

However, I interviewed Patrice Brown, an agent who had a third-round draft pick in her first year certified by the NFLPA, what she’d learned in her first year as a player rep, and she had this response: “I would say how important relationships with the media are. The media, people may want to discount it, but these teams, everybody’s human. The way the media responded, it appeared to have some impact. We’re not in those war rooms, and the teams have these highly paid staffs that handle that, but hey, everybody’s human. Even after the season was over, I would have worked harder to connect and get himself some (recognition). Hey, even locally, I’m reaching out to sportswriters and where’s the hometown love? I would have done all those things better.”

The media’s real impact on the draft is still something I’m trying to figure out. I’m open to others’ thoughts on this. The human element really holds true in draft rooms, no matter how much it’s dismissed by NFL officials. I guess that will always be true.

WSW: Attaboy, Rickey

30 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by itlneil in Uncategorized

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NFL, NFL draft, NFL Prospects

Today, you’ll have to indulge me as I tell one of my favorite stories. It involves my favorite all-time football player, Saints Hall of Fame LB Rickey Jackson, and my mentor in football, John Paul Young.

In 1981, John Paul had just arrived in New Orleans as part of Bum Phillips staff with the Saints. Bum, John Paul and the new staff had been brought in to try to capture the energy and excitement Phillips had created in Houston as part of the ‘Luv Ya Blue’ crew that always challenged the Steelers for AFC supremacy during Pittsburgh’s series of Super Bowl wins in the 70s. The Saints made a bold move in the 1981 draft, passing up North Carolina’s Lawrence Taylor for South Carolina’s George Rogers with the No. 1 overall pick. As the narrative has developed, in that draft, this was just another Saints blunder in an early team history chock full of them. What people don’t realize is that the Saints could take their ‘new Earl Campbell‘ with the top pick because they hoped another elite linebacker would be available in the second round. That player was Jackson, whom they took with the 51st pick.

From there, as the Saints’ linebackers coach, it was John Paul’s job to groom him and get him ready to be an impact player. However, things got off to a bumpy start. As a new member of the team and someone learning a new defense, Jackson was not yet instinctive in his first couple practices. During film sessions, John Paul consistently corrected him, in a teaching manner but firmly and directly. This seemed to embarrass Rickey, who was clearly down in the dumps after one such session. Eager not to lose his star pupil, John Paul took him aside to encourage him.

“What’s the matter, Rickey?” he asked a visibly pouting Jackson. “Nothing, coach,” the ‘backer replied.

“Come on, Rickey, what’s the matter?” he prodded.

“You’re always on me, coach,” Jackson responded.

Concerned that Jackson would be so easily hurt, John Paul expressed concern.

“Well, Rickey, when you were at Pittsburgh playing for Coach (Jackie) Sherrill, didn’t they have to fuss at you sometimes?”

“Nope, coach, never.”

“Really, Rickey? Well, what would they say to you?”

“All they ever said to me was, ‘Attaboy, Rickey!'”

Under John Paul’s tutelage, Jackson made fast adjustments to the NFL talent level, speed of game and styles of defense. In short order, he was one of the few consistent Saints play-makers and after a long career, he went to the Hall of Fame in 1997. This is why I suggested to my wife that we name our first-born son Rickey Jackson Stratton. She quickly dismissed the idea. I still believe she thinks I was joking.

WSW: Calming Carroll

16 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by itlneil in Uncategorized

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NFL, NFL draft, NFL Prospects

As you may know, one key part of the NFL combine is the night when the players are herded into a big room at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and all NFL teams get a crack at interviewing them for up to 15 minutes. Of course, that’s a pretty tight window, so teams have to get their questions in quickly and draw their conclusions almost as quickly. Usually teams hold interviews knowing that a kid can play, but they want to make sure there aren’t any off-the-field red flags they need to know about, so they focus on the usual questions about arrests, alcohol- and drug-related issues and the like.

Seattle has acquired a reputation for being very thorough not just in its scouting but in evaluating players that will go outside the top 100 players, and obviously, it’s paid great dividends. With that in mind, the Seahawks took an all-hands-on-deck approach to interviewing players, with head coach Pete Carroll himself getting out and speaking to selected players. One of them was Rob Blanchflower, a tight end from Massachusetts who despite a great career at UMass had missed the Senior Bowl with a leg injury. This created a bit more mystery surrounding the pass-catcher as teams weren’t able to do the normal level of due diligence. Within that context, Carroll stopped by for a quick chat.

“Rob, nice to meet you and talk to you,” Carroll said. “You seem like a really good guy. Tell me a little about yourself. Have you ever been in trouble? Done any drugs?”

“I drink a little,” Blanchflower replied.

Eager to make sure “a little” didn’t mean two cases and a bottle of scotch per day, Carroll followed up with another question. “What’s that mean?,” he asked.

“I drink when we celebrate,” the tight end said.

Starting to get a bit concerned, and probably thinking he might have tripped up on an area of concern, Carroll asked for clarification.

“What does that mean?” he asked again.

At that point, the Minuteman sensed a brewing storm he needed to head off, and he knew exactly how to do it.

“Coach, we were 1-11 last season,” Blanch said.

Carroll had no more concerns.

The SIF Interview: Don Mewhort (Pt. 2)

11 Friday Jul 2014

Posted by itlneil in Uncategorized

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NFL, NFL draft, NFL Prospects

Today, we continue our conversation with Don Mewhort, whose son, Jack, was drafted 2/59 by the Colts in May.

As you read Jack’s answers, there are a few things I find noteworthy. First, he cautions that a good agent doesn’t over-promise, and in fact is adamant that the only person who can improve a player’s ‘draft stock’ is the player himself. Second, though contact with agents was (rightly) restricted by Don and his attorney father, the limited contacts that several agents had with Jack before the season seemed to factor into the Buckeye’s final decision. He also has an interesting idea on what the NFLPA might provide to NFL draft prospects that he would have found helpful.


When did you conduct meetings with agents?

People would come into Toledo and meet with my father (an attorney) and I and that happened from right now through Thanksgiving, maybe the Michigan game (Nov. 30). We met with a number of people, then narrowed the list down after the regular season, after the Big Ten Championship Game (Dec. 7), and we narrowed the list down, and after that, coordinated that, narrowed it more. After the Big Ten Championship Game we had it down to four. Jack was not that involved in that process. It was more my father and I who did it, and he left it up to us. He was more focused on football at that point. And really the reason for that was that the people we had spoken to, everybody emphasized that the most important thing for Jack to do was having a good senior season.

Did any agents ever offer anything illegal or make any untoward advances?

No, no one.

From what you saw, what tipped the scales to Priority Sports for Jack?

I think there was a personal connection between Mike (McCartney) and Jack that they developed, and I’ll tell you, the final four were very, very close. It was a very difficult decision. I think the client base that Priority Sports had was helpful, because they had (ex-Buckeye and former NFL first-rounder) A.J. Hawk as a client, so the other type of clients they had we thought fit with the kind of player and person Jack was. We felt the agent selected would be accessible for Jack, and we felt that way for the others as well, but (we felt that) once he made that decision, the agent wasn’t going to disappear for four years. We felt any of the final four were going to be real advisors to him. One of the things I think Mike did a good job of doing, and one of the things Priority did well, was that they were very straight from the very beginning that there’s not a lot of things that an agent can do to improve your draft slot. It’s really how well you do in your senior year. I would warn people that go through the process that if (an agent) tells you they’re going to make you a first-round draft pick, ask them how they’re going to do that. It’s really flattering (for agents) to tell (potential clients) how good they are, but if they can’t tell you how they’re going to take you from a fourth-round draft pick to a first-round pick . . . ask them how it’s going to happen. One thing that was consistent among all the finalists was that they were very straightforward with us, and what they were telling us was true and not what we wanted to hear.

Did you have a lot of people who told you they could really move Jack up in the draft?

Some people would tout their relationships in the league and stuff like that; they know this guy or they’re tied in with this person, or, well, you know. But we were pretty careful. Of the 10-15 people we met with, we were pretty careful with who we met with. The ones we met with were all pretty professional. We were pleased. They were all very competent people. You have to make a decision, and one personality might fit a little better with your son.

So Jack made his decision based solely off the presentations the four finalists made on that day after the season when you conducted interviews?

 

Well, he had had conversations with most of the guys, on and off, and had talked to them before, before we had asked people to hold off on calling, or maybe traded some texts or had some interaction with them. Maybe he had seen them after a game. But (the day when we conducted interviews is) when the harder questions were asked about how it was going to work. We couldn’t have even brought them in if they hadn’t had some interaction with Jack before then.

Did the school try to limit your contact with agents or put any other restraints on you?

The compliance department at Ohio State is ‘on it.’ They do an excellent job of trying to educate the kids and parents about the pitfalls if you don’t handle it properly. They didn’t put any restrictions on us but they did educate us on it, and if you have a question, you better go to compliance and talk to them. That comes straight from Coach Meyer. He doesn’t want anyone to say they didn’t know. (Athletic Director) Gene Smith and the compliance people do a really good job.

What is the one thing – resource, advisor, whatever – you wished you’d had at this time last summer?

What would be helpful for parents is if the Players Association would put out the contracts from players from the previous draft. Like, ‘here’s what the second pick in the fourth round got in ’12, and this was their agent,’ because everyone brought in their own interpretation of the contracts. If the (NFLPA) could put out a consistent document that said, ‘this is what everyone got, and this was their agent,’ that would be helpful. Because you can go online, but you can’t tell what’s guaranteed and what’s not guaranteed, and I think it would be helpful for agents as well.

We’re probably a little different, but you got to find someone you can trust. You feel someone else can do it better, or a coach, or a lawyer, or an accountant, somebody at church, but somebody who doesn’t care and that can help you with it. As a parent, you get a little biased, and you’re probably not as objective as you should be. You should find that person who only cares about your kid, that can be helpful, and obviously the service (ITL provides) is helpful.

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