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2023 NFL Draft Player/Agent Pairings

Welcome to another year of providing the player/agent pairings as well as some notes for those selected in the NFL Draft.

Notes

  • Athletes First reps 8 of the 31 picks in the first round for on-field work and another 2 players (Bryce Young and Bijan Robinson) for marketing.
  • Creative Artists Agency reps 6 players selected in the first round.
  • WME Sports had 3 players taken in the first round, with veteran agent Joel Segal on each player’s Standard Representation Agreement (SRA).
  • Nicole Lynn of Klutch Sports, who reps Jalen Hurts among others, reps the #3 pick (Will Anderson Jr.) and #8 pick (Bijan Robinson).
  • The only other agency with 2 players off the board in the first round was Rep1 Sports (Jack Campbell and Dalton Kincaid).
  • Deiric Jackson reps #4 overall pick Anthony Richardson. Richardson said he turned down an $800k advance from a rival agent.
  • Drew Rosenhaus said his client Jalen Carter wouldn’t meet with teams outside the top 10. Carter went #9.

Round 1

  1. Bryce Young – Ed Berry, Jimmy Sexton, and Patrick Collins of Creative Artists Agency (on-field), Athletes First (marketing)
  2. C.J. Stroud – David Mulugheta of Athletes First
  3. Will Anderson Jr. – Nicole Lynn and Kelton Crenshaw of Klutch Sports
  4. Anthony Richardson – Deiric Jackson of Legacy Sports Advisors
  5. Devon Witherspoon – Reggie Johnson and Tory Dandy of Creative Artists Agency
  6. Paris Johnson Jr. – Adam Heller, Greg Diulus, Sammy Spina, and Michael Simon of VMG Sports Representation
  7. Tyree Wilson – Erik Burkhardt of Roc Nation Sports
  8. Bijan Robinson – Nicole Lynn of Klutch Sports (on-field), Athletes First (marketing)
  9. Jalen Carter – Drew Rosenhaus, Ryan Matha, and Robert Bailey of Rosenhaus Sports Representation
  10. Darnell Wright – Jeremy Newberry of Octagon
  11. Peter Skoronski – Patrick Collins and Tommy Condon of Creative Artists Agency
  12. Jahmyr Gibbs – Todd France and Ryan Williams of Athletes First (on-field), Everett Sports Marketing (marketing)
  13. Lukas Van Ness – Kyle McCarthy and Brian Murphy of Athletes First
  14. Broderick Jones – David Mulugheta and Trey Smith of Athletes First
  15. Will McDonald IV – Jared Fox and David Butz of Sportstars
  16. Emmanuel Forbes – Andre Odom of Athletes First
  17. Christian Gonzalez – Reggie Jackson, Lukman Abdulai, and Tory Dandy of Creative Artists Agency
  18. Jack Campbell – Chase Callahan and Ryan Tollner of Rep1 Sports
  19. Calijah Kancey – Bradley Cicala and Olasoji Awe of Quality Control Sports
  20. Jaxon Smith-Njigba – Joel Segal and Ben Renzin of WME Sports
  21. Quentin Johnston – Doug Hendrickson, Alexis Ramos, Quincy Peyton, and CJ LaBoy of Wasserman
  22. Zay Flowers – Zac Hiller and Matt Leist of LAA
  23. Jordan Addison – Tim Younger of Younger & Associates (on-field), Rubicon Talent (marketing)
  24. Deonte Banks – Ben Renzin and Joel Segal of WME Sports
  25. Dalton Kincaid – Collin Roberts, Chase Callahan, and Ryan Tollner of Rep1 Sports
  26. Mazi Smith – Joel Segal of WME Sports
  27. Anton Harrison – Joe Panos and Todd France of Athletes First
  28. Myles Murphy – Tory Dandy and Lukman Abdulai of Creative Artists Agency
  29. Bryan Bresee – Todd France and Kyle McCarthy of Athletes First
  30. Nolan Smith – Trey Smith and David Mulugheta of Athletes First
  31. Felix Anudike-Uzomah – Tommy Condon, RJ Gonser, and Tory Dandy of Creative Artists Agency

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.