Aug. 15, 2018
Greetings! 

This email is directed at any NFLPA-certified contract advisor interested in how the NFL draft works as well as the months leading up to the draft. Note: We are not endorsed, sponsored, or otherwise affiliated with the NFLPA.
Five Good Questions
So what are some good questions to ask? Here are five you might find helpful.
 

1.     Where do you see my son going in the '19 draft? How did you arrive at this opinion?: I've seen parents that asked for a detailed list of NFL contacts with cell numbers. I think if you ask this questions, you'll accomplish the same goal without making potential agents dig in their cell phones. This question also gets at the honesty of the contract advisor. You don't want an agent who's always painting a rosy picture. This gives the candidate a chance to give you a range of where your son might go. If he refuses to stop spewing sunshine, he might not be the guy you want. By the way, I should mention that the ITL Scouting Department can give you a professional report for $50 that you can compare with what the agent tells you.

 

2.     Every agent gets fired.What are some of the reasons you've been fired by clients before?: There are some contract advisors who will claim that they've never been fired. That's unreasonable and untrue. If he's honest, an agent will admit his mistakes. If he's not, he'll get very defensive, try to minimize his number of terminations, or blame the clients. I don't need to tell you these are all red flags. Oh, by the way: if the agent does say he's never been fired, click here and find out for yourself.

 

3.     If my son were to sign with you, who else would he be working with in your firm?: This is a courteous way of finding out how responsive you can expect the agent to be. If he insists that he will be the only one your son will deal with, this could be a concern. No. 1, it might mean he's the only one in his firm, and his agency isn't growing. No. 2, he's hiding the fact that he could farm your son out to someone else if his draft status sags in March or April.

 

4.     How many other players do you expect to sign?: Don't let your agent tell you that your son is the only one he's recruiting. That's simply not true, especially in August. If he is vague, at least try to find out how many others at your son's position the firm is recruiting. And make sure you ask about the firm, not the agent. If your son is locked in a battle with another player to be top-ranked at his position, and the agent you're considering is with a sizeable firm, someone else at his agency is going to be recruiting your son's competition. That's just the way it is, and that's OK. Just make sure the contract advisor you're considering is willing to admit it.

 

5.     What kind of training facility would be best for my son? With this answer, you want to know that the agent has a sense of your son's strengths and weaknesses. A lot of agents get locked into sending all their clients to just one facility, and often this is because they get a bulk rate, or a preferred customer rate, or whatever. You don't want your son to be the square peg that an agent is trying to force into a round hole.



Inside The League is the consulting service for the football industry. We work with the contract advisors for about two-thirds of active NFL players as well as the combine trainers, financial planners, scouts, coaches and other pro league organizers that make up the game. Cost is $29.95/month, and you can cancel at any time. To register, click here. Also check out our new free blog, Succeed in Football. Copyright Neil Stratton and ITL.

Sincerely, Neil Stratton
President
Inside the League

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