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2017 NFL Draft: Recap Of 1st 2 Rounds

Deshaun Watson is among the NFL rookies who have signed with Nike. Photo via 12up.

Here are some quick notes on how certain sports agencies fared through the first two rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft:

  • Creative Artists Agency (CAA) dominated the first round. In total, CAA had nine clients off the board in the first, with six of them being taken within the top twenty, five of them within the top thirteen and three of them grabbed in the top ten. The agency continued to roll with another four clients selected in the second round. The first two rounds were undoubtedly dominated by CAA. NFLPA Contract Advisor Tory Dandy had three clients selected among the first thirteen picks: Mike Williams, Marshon Lattimore and Hasson Reddick.
  • Athletes First also had a very impressive first round by having four clients selected therein. The company was joined by Lagardère Sports as having the second most clients drafted in the first round (four clients each). Young buck David Mulugheta, who has been interviewed on Sports Agent Blog, had a very impressive first round for Athletes First, with clients Deshaun Watson, Malik Hooker and Charles Harris being selected by various NFL teams. Athletes First also fared well in the second round by having another three players taken therein.
  • First Round Management, largely known for its practice of representing prominent MMA fighters, made a splash during the first two rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft. It had two clients selected in the first round (David Njoku and Reuben Foster) followed by Josh Jones and Teez Tabor in the second.
  • Rosenhaus Sports Representation had Malik McDowell selected in the second round. Prior to that, its client Derek Barnett was selected in the first round by the Philadelphia Eagles.
  • Select Sports Group had a solid second round with three players taken in that round alone: Forrest Lamp, Marcus Maye and Tyus Bowser.
  • Officially call it a comeback. Steinberg Sports represents first round pick Patrick Mahomes II, making it the second straight year that Contract Advisor Leigh Steinberg had a quarterback client selected in the first round. Last year, Steinberg had Paxton Lynch grabbed in the first. Leigh’s struggles had been publicly documented. His rebound should be praised by all.
  • Speaking of success with quarterbacks, Rep 1 Sports continued its roll of representing the best of the best. It is the agency of record for number two overall pick Mitch Trubisky. Last year the agency had the top two picks off the board: quarterbacks Jared Goff and Carson Wentz.

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.