Goal: Find a way into the NFL Draft conversation with college and professional football kicking off.



Issue: I’m a bit busy with my day job covering the Washington Redskins. Stray from that mission, and I might be the next one deactivated on game day.



Solution: Come up with questions about the 2020 class, but also dive into the action behind the scenes. Do so with the people at the intersection of the prospects, colleges and professional franchises. Tap into the insight derived by agents.



That’s the nutshell rationale behind this survey The Athletic conducted primarily before Week 1 of the NFL season with 21 agents. This group of power players, industry veterans and relative newcomers directly or tangentially represents eight 2019 first-round selections and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award-winners along with numerous NFL standouts and contributors.



As I dealt more with agents in recent years, I became intrigued by not only their...