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Catching Up With 1st Team Sports Group’s 2012 NFL Draft Class

1st Team Sports Group is a new, boutique football agency led by Jerry Marlatt, Gerald Conoway, and Weston Hull.  Marlatt has proven to be successful in business post-military retirement.  Hull has experience in the agency world, having formerly worked with Jordan Woy of Willis & Woy Sports Group in Dallas, Texas.  Along with Conoway, Marlatt and Hull have been pressing the pavement to sign players who are eligible to be selected in the 2012 NFL Draft.  The following players are represented by 1st Team Sports Group.

Fozzy Whittaker, RB/KR, Texas
The NFL Scouting Combine invitee tore his ACL and MCL in a freak play against Mizzou.  He is currently rehabbing in Texas and has several pre-draft visits set up with teams.  He can still get drafted, but it just depends on how comfortable teams feel with his knee and how it is progressing.
Gary Gray, CB, Notre Dame
He was invited to the East-West Shrine Game, but pulled his groin during the first 5 minutes of the first practice and wasn’t able to go the rest of the week.
Christian Scott, SS, Texas
Big safety that can run.  Character and injury concerns are the major question marks with NFL Teams.  Some teams say as high as 6th round, others PFA.
Grade: 7th/PFA
Brandon Bostick, WR/TE, Newberry
Small school kid that had late round grade from National Scouting entering the season.  Big kid (6’3″ 242 lbs) that many teams view as a hybrid TE in the mold of Aaron Hernandez (obviously not nearly the prospect that Hernandez was coming out of Florida).  Participated in Players’ All Star Classic in Little Rock and had a productive week there.  He is working out at Coastal Carolina Pro-Day alongside Josh Norman and a few other small-school Carolina prospects.
Joe Banyard, RB, UTEP
Transfer from TCU.  Productive back at UTEP.  Won’t blow you away athletically, but great character and hard working kid that scouts think can contribute on special teams right away.  Participated in Players’ All Star Classic in Little Rock.
Anson Kelton, P, TCU
Huge kid with a huge leg, but inconsistent at times.  Has several private workouts with teams.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.