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CAA Is Going To Kill The NFL Draft

Creative Artists Agency logoLast year, I broke down how the first round of the NFL Draft went down.  CAA led the pack with 6 clients selected in the first round.  CAA was followed by Maximum Sports (5), and Octagon, BEST, FAME, and ProFiles Sports (all with 2 clients selected).  Having 6 first rounders would be cause for celebration for any agency, even CAA, who has some of the most well known NFLPA licensed agents in the world.  Could they possibly do better this weekend than a year ago?

Matthew Stafford, Jason Smith, and Brian Orakpo are guarantees to go in the first round.  Other CAA clients who have a strong/solid chance of being selected in the first round include Malcolm Jenkins, Brian Cushing, Jeremy Maclin, Knowshon Moreno, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Eben Britton, Josh Freeman, and James Laurinaitis.

Obviously it would be entirely ridiculous if 11 CAA clients were drafted in the first round, but look at the names listed above.  Could it not happen?  Even if CAA matches the number it put up last year (6) or does slightly better, the company will have a lot to be happy about.  It is rare to see any agency consistently capture a large amount of the top prospects in consecutive years.  And then there’s CAA.

CAA’s main competition last year was Eugene Parker of Maximum Sports, with 5 clients taken in the first round.  Eugene will have a sure first rounder again this year with Michael Crabtree.  Tyson Jackson is almost a certainty to be picked in the first round as well, but after those two, it looks like Maximum Sports won’t have anyone selected for a while.

Who will take Maximum Sports’s position from last year?  There really is no agency that has a chance to come even close to the number that CAA puts up.  Those in the distance, vying for 2nd place in number of first round selections, will include Octagon, BEST, Athletes First, and FAAM.

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.

3 replies on “CAA Is Going To Kill The NFL Draft”

Darren, nice article, I could’nt agree more, CAA are the big powerhouses and wow they’re doing a good job. Darren is it FAME or FAAM? Who are these guys? any more info?

Also do you think BEST with their never ending capital who were buying agents/agencies out are disapointed by this year’s draft? I kind of remember that this article was published on here saying BEST were the top agency in terms of money,power,clients etc. I may be wrong here. Not sure?

And also, which agents will have a good year regarding the NFL draft?

Thanks buddy,

Kam from the UK!

FAAM is France AllPro Athlete Management, owned by Atlanta-based agent Todd France. France is a big player in the game. He started with Career Sports & Entertainment (the company I interned with), before splitting off to form his own agency. CS&E hasn’t represented football players since.

No one has never-ending capital, but yes, BEST does spend pretty freely. The draft has not yet occurred, but I doubt there is much disappointment on their end. The only disappointment would come for all of us noting CAA’s utter dominance. It is something for everybody else to be very fearful of.

One agent in particular who stands to make some big strides is David Canter of DEC Management, who has a couple of Utah players that may be Day 1 guys.

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