Author: Justin VanFulpen

19 Things a NFL Agent Does For Their Client

By Justin VanFulpen

Not all firms or all agents do all these things but they are aware of these things and can get them done if need.

1. Contract Negotiations – Top thing an agent is trying to is maximum their clients on the field contract and any off the field contacts.

2. Marketing and Selling Film (Pre-Draft & Free-Agency) – 80% of players draft grade is based on film and when players go into free-agency it is all about selling film and ability.

3. All Star Game Invites – Agent can push players to the All-Star game directors even before the season starts.

4. Training – Not only pre-draft training recommendations but also off-season training as well.

5. Nutrition – Goes hand and hand with training but it also in-season and off-season.

6. Endorsements and Marketing – Addition way for agents to help their clients make money off the field.

7. PR and Media Relations – The Media is a good way to be able increase visibility and brand.

8. Relocation Assistance – Players can always be on the move in free-agency and new teams.

9. Appearances – If it is not a paid appearance sometime it worth more to your brand to be somewhere.

10. Injury Settlements/ Grievances – There is always injuries in football and it is a business so need someone to look out of your best interest as a player.

11. Benefits Assistance/Education (401K, Pension, Performance Base Pay) – Helping the players be aware of everything that is available to him and how it all works.

12. Financial Advisement (In-house, Referral, or Vetting) – Some agents have this service done in house or can help their clients find the right qualified fit for them.

13. Taxes (In-house, Referral, or Vetting) – Some agents have this service done in house or can help their clients find the right qualified fit for them.

14. Insurance (In-house, Referral or Vetting) – Some agents have this service done in house or can help their clients find the right qualified fit for them.

15. Social Media Management – Social media not only can have an effect on your band it is another way to help great additional revenue for the player.

16. Branding/Website Development – Branding is an important part to help increase awareness and increase current and future revenue.

17. Concierge Services – Bill Pay, Event Planning, Personal Services, Travel Assistance, etc.

18. Career Management – Overall guidance of the player current and future plans.

19. Post-Career Planning – Helping figuring out what is the plan after the game of football.

2018 NFL Draft: All-Star Game Report

By Justin VanFulpen

College Football All-Star games are part of the pre-draft process that is more important then the NFL Combine and Pro Days because it is football and scouts can evaluate good on good players.  The Senior Bowl is the best all-star game and one that all Senior prospects want to get invited to. Here is the amount of draft picks per all-star games.

Senior Bowl – 84
East-West Shrine Game – 26
NFLPA Bowl – 18
College Gridiron Showcase – 3
Tropical Bowl – 3

Getting invite to an all-star can help out a NFL Draft prospect rise his draft status if he takes advantage.

 

 

2018 NFL Draft: NFL Scouting Combine Results

By Justin VanFulpen

In the football business one of the closely guarded secrets before the official list is released is who is getting invited to the NFL Combine.  The NFL Combine is run by National Scouting and has become a televised event by the NFL Network.  For more information about how the NFL Combine invites work you can check out my article from a year ago: NFL Draft: NFL Combine just part of the process.

Now that the 2017 NFL Draft is in the books we can look at the results.  This year there were 336 players invited to the NFL Combineand their where 38 players that were drafted that did NOT go to the NFL Combine.  Break down as far as rounds go:

2nd round – 1 player
3rd round – 1 player
4th round – 1 player
5th round – 4 players
6th round – 12 players
7th round – 19 players

So 118 players that were invited to this year’s NFL Combine were not drafted.  So the percentage of players that were drafted that were invited to the NFL Combine was 64%, so it is far from a guarantee if you are invited that you will get selected in the NFL Draft.  Last year it was 68% of the players that were at the NFL Combine where drafted.

NFL Draft: 5 Year Draft Averages by Position (2018-2014)

By Justin VanFulpen

With the 2018 NFL Draft in the books here is the average amount of players drafted at each position over the past 5 years (2014-2018) and the highs and lows.

QB – Average amount drafted – 11.8 – High amount drafted 15 (2016) Low amount drafted 7 (2015)

RB– Average amount drafted – 21.0 – High amount drafted 26 (2017) Low amount drafted 19 (2014)

FB – Average amount drafted – 2.4 – High amount drafted 3 (2016,2015) Low amount drafted 2 (2018, 2017, 2014)

WR – Average amount drafted – 33.2 – High amount drafted 34 (2014,2015) Low amount drafted 32 (2017)

TE – Average amount drafted – 13.0 – High amount drafted 18 (2015) Low amount drafted 9 (2016)

OT – Average amount drafted – 20.6 – High amount drafted 26 (2015) Low amount drafted 16 (2017)

OG – Average amount drafted – 13.0 – High amount drafted 16 (2015) Low amount drafted 10 (2018)

C – Average amount drafted – 7.2 – High amount drafted 10 (2014) Low amount drafted 5 (2015,2017)

DE – Average amount drafted – 22.2 – High amount drafted 26 (2017) Low amount drafted 17 (2016)

DT – Average amount drafted – 20.2 – High amount drafted 22 (2016) Low amount drafted 18 (2015)

 LB – Average amount drafted – 34.8 – High amount drafted 39 (2018) Low amount drafted 28 (2017)

CB – Average amount drafted – 32.0 – High amount drafted 34 (2017) Low amount drafted 29 (2018)

S – Average amount drafted – 19.2 – High amount drafted 23 (2017) Low amount drafted 15 (2015)

K – Average amount drafted – 1.6 – High amount drafted 3 (2017) Low amount drafted 0 (2015)

P – Average amount drafted – 1.8 – High amount drafted 4 (2017) Low amount drafted 0 (2017)

 

Breakdown of what NFL Draft Grades are made up of per NFL Scouts

By Justin VanFulpen

Film (80%) – Your level of competition and how you played against the best level of competition you faced that year.  Each NFL team will view around 3 full games of your current season normally against who is the best competition. This also includes if a prospect plays in any of the college football all-star games.

Athletic Numbers (10%) – Height, Weight, Speed.  Teams are looking at the film first and then see if the prospect checks off the box in the athletic numbers per the position.

Injury History/Off Field/Football IQ (10%) –  Any major injuries, anything major off the field, love of the game, film study.  Scouts are check social media, talking to high school coaches, strength coaches, academic advisors, current coaches as they try to find out as much information on the prospect on and off the field.

Why “Spring Grades” are Important to NFL Prospects

By Justin VanFulpen

When NFL scouts from the two scouting services BLETSO and National go into a school to do their junior evaluation they are looking to grade the NFL draft prospects for the next year’s draft but also to eliminate players as guys who can’t play in the NFL.  The scouts give those players “reject” grades so scout in the fall don’t have to spend time on players who are deemed not NFL players.

The scouting services grade over 13,000 senior college football players each year at all levels of football and normally there are around 600 with draft able or free-agent grades.  True do players with “reject” grades get draft? Yes but it is few and far between.

BLETSO and National have their spring meeting to go over grades around Labor Day time in May to be able to help set the scouts schedule for training camps visits in the summer.  Prospects are not told what their spring grade is by the two scouting services, but normally in the summer the grades get out and agents, financial advisors, media members and all-star games get their hands on them.

Spring grades are important for a number of reasons:

1. It is a road map for NFL scouts in the fall to where they should spend their most time.

2. National Scouting runs the NFL Combine so if a player has a good spring grade he is more likely to get invited then if he doesn’t.

3. All-Star games try to get their hands on these grades and use them when they start to invite players to their games.

True as a Senior what you do on the field is most import to your final NFL draft grade, but it doesn’t hurt to start with a good spring grade going into your Senior season.

What can help/hurt a players NFL draft stock that has nothing to do with playing

By Justin VanFulpen

True in the NFL it is all about can you play the game at a high level and it is about the film and as they always say “the eye in the sky can’t tell a lie” but there are other factors that make up a player draft stock that has nothing to do with your skill as a player. There are a lot of things that are out of players control but there are many that it comes down to choices.

Effort/Hustle – Going 100% on every play doesn’t have anything to do skill.  Having a high motor and giving hustle and effort on every play is only a positive and is something that a player can control.  

Football IQ – Film study, knowledge of your opponent, what are his tendencies, knowledge of your scheme and the purpose of each play, knowledge of the rules, all of these things it doesn’t matter how athletically gifted you are as a player.     

Failed Drug Test – As a player you might not thing that this is a big deal but it is something that can hurt you with NFL teams and is something that as player you have control over.

Domestic Violence/ Violence against Women – There are many documented cases that has affected guys draft status including last year with running back Joe Mixon (Cincinnati Bengals).  Even with this happening a few years ago many teams took him off their draft board and he dropped a lot further in the draft then many people had him graded on film.

Association – When NFL teams are doing their due diligence investigating player’s back-grounds they are interested in who the player hangs with off the field and do any of these people present red flags.  They are wondering if by associating with these people will the player be affected to making some bad decisions?

Social Media – Monitoring and reviewing player’s social media has become a big time in the recent years.  Scouts are looking to see what the prospect is posting on these platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram).  They are looking for is the player posting about football? Some of the red flags they are looking for is the prospect posting about Guns, Violence, Drugs, Alcohol, etc.?

Medical – This is one that a prospect doesn’t have much control over, in football injuries happen, and they do have an effect on prospect draft grade.   What a prospect does have is when the injury does happen how hard to they attack the rehab, also what are you doing as far as injury prevention?

NFL Draft: 5 Year Draft Averages by Position (2017-2013)

By Justin VanFulpen

With the 2018 NFL Draft a month away here is the average amount of players drafted at each position over the past 5 years (2013-2017) and the highs and lows.

QB – Average amount drafted – 11.4 – High amount drafted 15 (2016) Low amount drafted 7 (2015)

RB– Average amount drafted – 21.6 – High amount drafted 26 (2017) Low amount drafted 19 (2014)

FB – Average amount drafted – 2.6 – High amount drafted 3 (2016,2015) Low amount drafted 2 (2014)

WR – Average amount drafted – 32.2 – High amount drafted 34 (2014,2015) Low amount drafted 28 (2013)

TE – Average amount drafted – 13.4 – High amount drafted 18 (2015) Low amount drafted 9 (2016)

OT – Average amount drafted – 20.2 – High amount drafted 26 (2015) Low amount drafted 16 (2017)

OG – Average amount drafted – 14.6 – High amount drafted 18 (2013) Low amount drafted 12 (2017)

C – Average amount drafted – 6.6 – High amount drafted 10 (2014) Low amount drafted 5 (2013,2015,2017)

DE – Average amount drafted – 23.6 – High amount drafted 30 (2013) Low amount drafted 17 (2016)

DT – Average amount drafted – 20.0 – High amount drafted 22 (2016) Low amount drafted 18 (2015)

 LB – Average amount drafted – 32.4 – High amount drafted 37 (2015) Low amount drafted 27 (2013)

CB – Average amount drafted – 32.0 – High amount drafted 34 (2017) Low amount drafted 29 (2013)

S – Average amount drafted – 20.2 – High amount drafted 23 (2013,2017) Low amount drafted 15 (2015)

K – Average amount drafted – 1.6 – High amount drafted 3 (2017) Low amount drafted 0 (2015)

P – Average amount drafted – 1.4 – High amount drafted 3 (2016) Low amount drafted 0 (2017)