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Catching Up With Athletes First’s 2012 NFL Draft Class

There are a few sports agencies that always have a large number of clients selected in the NFL Draft, and oftentimes many of those players are picked in the top half of the draft.  Athletes First is one of those agencies.  While the company’s Draft class is not as top heavy as it was last year, when it had 4 clients taken in the first round (including #2 overall Von Miller), and a total of 9 players taken in the top 3 rounds, the names listed below are nothing to scoff at.  Further, this list is likely incomplete.  There are probably about 6-8 other players who have either signed with Athletes First (that I am not aware of) or will sign with the company prior to the 2012 NFL Draft.  Here are the players that I have been told are currently represented by the agents, including David Dunn, at Athletes First:

  • Alfonzo Dennard, Nebraska, CB, 3rd Position, 17th Overall, Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year, 1st Team All Big Ten
  • Melvin Ingram, South Carolina, OLB, 1st Position, 19th Overall, 1st Team SEC, 1st Team All American
  • Michael Floyd, Notre Dame, WR, 3rd Position, 22nd Overall, Notre Dame MVP 2x, FBS Independent Offensive POY
  • Kelechi Osemele, Iowa State, OG, 4th Position, 43rd Overall, 1st Team Big XII, 2009 Big XII 2nd Team
  • Nick Foles, Arizona, QB, 4th Position, 50th overall, Pac 12 Honorable Mention, Unitas Finalist
  • Cyrus Gray, Texas A&M, RB, 9th Position, 100th Overall, 2 time Big XII honorable mention
  • Harrison Smith, Notre Dame, SS, 3rd Position, 102nd Overall, All Independent 1st Team, Notre Dame Team Captain
  • Kennan Robinson, Texas, OLB, 13th Position, 108th Overall, Big XII 2nd team, Butkis Awards semi-finalist
  • Jeff Fuller, Texas A&M, WR, 20th Position, 158th Overall, Big XII Honorable Mention
  • Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma, WR, 22nd Position, 178th Overall, 2010 and 2011 All American, NCAA all time leading receiver
  • Ryan Miller, Colorado, OG, 12th Position, 220th Overall, 3rd Team All American
  • Kellen Moore, Boise State, QB, 12th Position, 221st Overall, 2010 Heisman finalist, 2x All-American

Melvin Ingram and Alfonzo Dennard were discussed in this Sports Agent Blog post on January 5, 2012.

NFLDraftScout.com was used to provide the position and overall ranks listed above .

By Darren Heitner

Darren Heitner created Sports Agent Blog as a New Year's Resolution on December 31, 2005. Originally titled, "I Want To Be A Sports Agent," the website was founded with the intention of causing Heitner to learn more about the profession that he wanted to join, meet reputable individuals in the space and force himself to stay on top of the latest news and trends.

Heitner now runs Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., which is a law firm with many practice areas, including sports law and contract law. Heitner has represented numerous athletes and sports agents as legal counsel. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington from 2011-2014, where he created and taught a course titled, Sport Agency Management, which included subjects ranging from NCAA regulations to athlete agent certification and the rules governing the profession. Heitner serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he teaches a Sports Law class that includes case law surrounding athlete agents and the NCAA rules.