Jan. 17-23

One time going against common practice is an aberration. Two times is an oddity. Three is . . . a trend? Maybe, maybe not. But it looks like there may be a no-agent pattern at the top of the NFL Draft. That’s one thing we learned during an abbreviated trip to Frisco, Texas, for the 101st East-West Shrine Bowl. 

Most expect an agent decision from presumed No. 1 overall pick-to-be Fernando Mendoza of Indiana. But will that decision be to sign with no one? Maybe. Consider: 

• At least three agencies have made regular pilgrimages to Indiana University Memorial Stadium this year (to say nothing of the Hoosiers’ numerous road opponents). Numerous others have made one or more. Still, a favorite does not seem to have emerged.
• Instead, Mendoza seems closest to Richmond Flowers, the man behind QB Collective, the passing development program that has drawn such elite QBs as two former No. 1s, Caleb Williams and Bryce Young. Though Flowers is not NFLPA-certified, he’s a seasoned negotiator who at one time or another has repped Mike McDaniel, Robert Saleh, Brandon Staley and other notable coaches.
• We’ve heard of at least a half-dozen established agencies that have made aggressive efforts to sign Mendoza. Despite this, we’re told the family continues to hold meetings. 
• Mendoza’s father, Fernando Sr., is a Miami pediatrician and Brown grad of no insignificant intellect. He would not be the first father to gather information from some of the best and brightest contract advisors during the meeting process, then decide to take on the bulk of the work himself. 

Is this the direction things will take? It’s too early to tell, but don’t be surprised if Mendoza takes the path that former top picks Caleb Williams (2024) and Cam Ward (2025) took before him. Among other tips and topics we picked up in and around the Star Thursday and Friday were: 

• Four to five NFL teams were rumored to be heading for the airport after Friday’s practice due to the ice storm settling into greater Dallas Friday evening. The fear among many scouts and executives was that airports and roads could be shut down through Monday, maybe even Tuesday, inhibiting travel to Mobile for next week’s Senior Bowl.
• We’ve heard there’s an informal Saturday deadline for any additions to the Shrine Bowl rosters due to travel restrictions. With just under 140 players already in Frisco entering Friday, the game should be able to weather (no pun intended) the usual number of injuries and player defections that are part of any showcase game.
• Friday, it was announced that the Shrine Bowl would make a few small concessions to the forecast, canceling the Shriners Children’s Patient Interaction/Media Day and East-West Shrine Bowl Hall of Fame Reception scheduled for Monday.
• A flurry of players have been late adds to the lineup in Mobile, with most of them performers at previous all-star games or additions from nearby schools. In the last 24 hours, Cincinnati WO Cyrus Allen, Maryland OT Alan Herron, Notre Dame SS Jalen Stroman, SMU TE Matthew Hibner, Ole Miss FS Wydett Williams, South Alabama WO Devin Voisin, Florida DE Tyreak Sapp and Miami (Fla.) OC James Brockermeyer have been announced on Twitter as additions to the Senior Bowl. Allen, Stroman, Herron and Hibner played Thursday night in the American Bowl, while Sapp is an EWS invitee.

It’s our sincerest hope that whatever the scouts, agents, wealth managers and others in Frisco decide about their respective stays, that their time at the Shrine Bowl is fruitful, and that their travels are safe. We hope to see everyone arrive safely in South Alabama where, hopefully, skies will be more favorable.

In other developments, we’re two weeks away from announcing the format and panelists for the ITL Symposium (Friday, Feb. 27, 830 am, Room 205, Indiana Convention Center). Here’s what we know so far:

• We’ll follow the same format as last year – a half-hour of program, followed by a half-hour of networking, then another half-hour of program. 
• The programs will consist of questions to panelists, who will be P4 and G5 GMs and, possibly, NIL agents. 
• Our plan is to have five GM/scouting directors, along with, possibly, a selection of top NIL agents, as well. 
• Co-hosts of the program will be ITL’s Neil Stratton and Luke Bogus of Dropback. 
• We’re formulating questions, but most of them will be related to best practices in the transfer portal (from both school and agent sides). We’ll also focus on the January portal window and ideas on how to make things better.
• We won’t charge members of P4 and G5 personnel staffs. Others will be charged $100 to attend (or $400 for an agency, limit six members). 
• We hope to have 400 people in the room; we’ll have capacity for much more. 
• Here’s what last year’s symposium looked like; we hope this year’s event will be bigger and better. 
• There will be no recording devices and the event won’t be streamed or filmed – it’s the best way to encourage a free flow of information – so make plans to be there in person.

Now, we want our program to be representative of the NIL experience, and to do that, we need to hear from you. So let us know (all responses will be kept anonymous):

• The top GMs in college football, and maybe, the worst ones, too.
• Same for the top NIL agents – who are the best, who are the worst?
• The rules that are just unworkable
• New rules that would be beneficial
• What kinds of things would go in a standard representation agreement for NIL
• What an agent code of conduct would look like (and how it would be enforced)
• The role of the federal government (if any)

We’re still finalizing things, and we need your input before we make all the last decisions. Email us at nstratton@insidetheleague.com with your ideas. We want our event to have maximum impact for good.

Obviously, that’s just one of our two big events in Indianapolis. If you’re around on Wednesday, we’d love for you to join us for the ITL seminar (Wednesday, Feb. 25, 530pm, Room 205 of the Indiana Convention Center).

• The event will be co-hosted by Gordon Whittaker of Ellison Kibler Merrill Lynch and ITL’s Neil Stratton
• More than 30 awards will be presented, including the Best Draft Award and the C.O. Brocato Award for lifetime achievement in scouting
• We’ll also present awards to the members of the college personnel community who do an invaluable job for scouts
• The event will last about an hour
• There’s no cost to attend
• About 250 attended last year; we expect 300 or more this year
• We’ll have a reception for attendees afterward (details TBA)

Put both in your phone. Do it. Right now. You don’t want to miss either one. We’ll have a formal announcement and more details in the Feb. 6 edition of the Friday Wrap. See you there.

Now let’s take a look at the top stories in the business of football this week with Ric Serritella of All Access Football.

Kraft’s priority – more cheese: More regular season games, more international contests, increased one-off matchups and a greater revenue stream are on the mind of NFL owners, according to Patriots owner Robert Kraft. In an interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub, Kraft shared the sentiments of NFL owners bullish on extending the regular season. “I want to tell you guys, though, we're going to push like the Dickens now to make international more important with us,” Kraft said. “Every team will go 18 [regular season games], two [preseason games] and eliminate one of the preseason games. And every year we'll play one game overseas.” With every team expected to play at least one international game every season, it creates a weekly, early-morning window for the NFL to sell off additional streaming rights. More regular season games also means more sales at the gate, concessions and merchandise. Though player safety remains a hot topic in the league, dollar signs will always be a top priority, as well, for owners. “Part of the reason is so we can continue to grow the cap and keep our labor happy,” Kraft continued, “because we're sort of getting near the top here, you know, with the coverage—93 of the top 100 programs on television are NFL games. Think about that. It's really amazing.” So far, the NFLPA has been against tacking on an additional regular season game. 

Combine remains In Indy: Much to the delight of the football community, the NFL Combine will remain in Indianapolis for 2027 and 2028, it was announced by Visit Indy and Pat McAfee Thursday. For nearly 40 years, the host city has been the ideal destination due to the cozy nature of the downtown area, including the centrally located convention center and nearby Lucas Oil Stadium. The abundance of top medical facilities and easy access to convention space are also big pluses, allowing the league to create spin-off events such as the NFL Fan Experience. Much discussion has centered around the league exploring ways to grow the combine and convert it into an additional (wait for it) revenue stream. According to the Visit Indy post, just 30,000 visitors attended the combine in 2025. By comparison, the Indianapolis 500 draws over 350,000 visitors to the city for the one-day event, per ESPN. Some have speculated that the NFL could eventually open up the combine to bidding among cities, much as the league has done with the NFL Draft since its departure from New York City. For now, we can all exhale and hope that the arrangement between league and city lasts well beyond the next several years.

Mensah on the move?: Duke QB Darian Mensah remains in legal limbo following his decision to enter the transfer portal on the final day of eligibility after he previously signed a $4M contract to remain in Durham. The disgruntled passer and the school were in court this week, with Judge Ed Wilson ruling that Mensah is indeed allowed to enter the porta. However, he’s been stripped of his right to enroll at another school or play football for another college team until a North Carolina judge rules on Duke’s request for an injunction that would prevent him from leaving. Wilson dismissed himself from future hearings due to a conflict of interest (he’s a Duke basketball season-ticket holder). The two sides must now wait until Feb. 2 for the injunction to be heard. "Mr. Mensah has an existing contract with Duke which the university intends to honor, and we expect he will do the same," Duke's athletics department said in a statement Wednesday. "The court-ordered temporary restraining order (TRO) issued yesterday ensures he does not violate his contract. The university is committed to supporting all of our student-athletes, while expecting each of them to abide by their contractual obligations." Reports have indicated that Mensah’s preferred destination of choice is Miami, where he is rumored to have an offer on the table totaling $10M.

More Injunction Functions: The legal maneuvering isn’t limited to North Carolina as Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss, who was denied his initial request for a sixth year of eligibility, hasn’t given up yet. Ole Miss officials are optimistic Chambliss still has a path to another season with the Rebels in 2026, according to CBS Sports. The lawsuit, filed on Jan. 16, claims that Chambliss is entitled to a medical hardship season given that his 2022 season with Division II Ferris State was impacted by an illness and respiratory issues. It goes on to state that Chambliss took a redshirt season as a true freshman in 2021 and did not play in 2022 as a redshirt freshman. Chambliss' suit argues that he only played three seasons of college football -- in 2023 and 2024 with Ferris State and in 2025 with Ole Miss -- and should be allowed to play a fourth, based on NCAA rules. "In Trinidad's case, the NCAA failed in its mission to foster his well-being and development as a student-athlete," the lawsuit reads. "The mechanisms for granting Trinidad an additional year of eligibility – so that he has the opportunity to compete in four years of football -- are available and within the NCAA's control." In a statement Jan. 9, the NCAA said that Chambliss didn't provide adequate medical evidence that he suffered from an "Incapacitating injury or illness." The judge overseeing the case is Robert Whitwell, an Ole Miss law school grad and a former college football quarterback at Northwest Mississippi Community College.

Filling slots: It was a busy week for teams without head coaches as the Falcons, Giants, Titans, Dolphins and Ravens all made their decisions official this week. In New York, the suspense finally lifted after a protracted negotiation related to John Harbaugh’s interest in maintaining roster control. The ex-Ravens head coach will work in collaboration with GM Joe Schoen, who insisted this week that he’s comfortable with the new arrangement. “I’ve been in the league for 26 years, so everywhere I’ve been, the head coach and general manager work together,” Schoen said, per ESPN. “That’s the only way it’s going to work.” Schoen presided over a draft haul last year that netted the team status as a finalist for the Best Draft Award, that will be awarded Wednesday, Feb. 25, at the ITL Seminar in Indianapolis. It’s the second straight season the Giants were a finalist for the award that went to the Rams for their work in 2024. Among other head coaches named this week, Kevin Stefanski lands in Atlanta, where he’ll get to work seeking to win his third Coach of the Year award; Robert Saleh will give it a second go with the Titans, who are seen as a team with promise after a solid close to the season by 2025 No. 1 overall QB Cam Ward; Jeff Hafley moves from chilly Green Bay to sunny Miami as the Dolphins’ new boss; and Jesse Minter moves from defensive coordinator of the Chargers to Harbaugh’s successor in Baltimore. Saleh, Hafley and Minter will hope to follow in the footsteps of Mike McDonald, who in two seasons went from defensive coordinator (in Baltimore) to head coach of an NFC Championship team in Seattle. Stefanski and Minter are with CAA, while Saleh is with Wasserman Sports, Hafley is with Athletes First, and Harbaugh is with Excel Football. Still on the hunt as of press time: the Bills, Browns, Cardinals, Raiders and Steelers. For a complete rundown of the NFL’s head coaches and their representation, check out our grid.

One question: Our one-question survey asking NFL scouts to choose the team that drafted best in 2025 enters Week 3 over the next seven days, and after the first two weeks, we’ve almost logged as many votes as we did in four last year. It’s not a surprise. The six finalists this year (Saints, Browns, Patriots, Panthers, Giants and Bears) each have a powerful argument. If you’re looking for a record turnaround, look no further than the Patriots (from 4-13 to 13-4) or Bears (5-12 last year, a division title and a two-round playoff run this year). Want success at impact positions? The Giants got a QB (Jaxson Dart), a pass rusher (Abdul Carter) and a power running back (Cam Skattebo), while the NFC South champion Panthers got a game-breaking receiver (Tet McMillan) and an impact pass rusher (Nic Scourton). Want success up and down the draft and lots of snaps from rookies? Then you might like the Browns and Saints, who both had five draftees who were regular starters in 2025. If you haven’t already, make sure you fill out your ballot when it hits your inbox tomorrow morning at 10. Haven’t gotten a ballot? If you work in player evaluation (pro, college or analytics) for an NFL team, you’re eligible to vote. Just respond to this email and we’ll get you the ballot link.

Changing things up: Over the past several weeks, the Scouting the League Podcast has gone from a one-hour talk with an expert from the football world to a series of shorter episodes with a variety of guests (or, sometimes, none at all). This week was another departure from the traditional format as co-hosts Rodrik David and Neil Stratton discussed multiple topics during the busy offseason so far and also featured a guest appearance by Friend of ITL Ric Serritella of All Access Football. Here are a few highlights:

• Serritella on the best QB at American Bowl practices this week (00:23): “I gotta say Athan Kaliakmanis, the Rutgers product. He has carried his momentum from the Hula Bowl, where he had a very solid week, and he’s doing well here again, especially in that short to intermediate part of the field which is what you need to do to be an NFL quarterback.”
• Serritella on a defensive player with a new look in Orlando (2:06): “(Vanderbilt DE) Khordae Sydnor, it was good to see him out here. I checked in on him in August, back in training camp. He was 280 pounds. He weighed in here at 259, and I think he really wanted to showcase his pass-rushing ability because he’s an inside/outside, versatile defensive lineman, but with the lost weight now, I think teams are going to view him more as an edge rusher rather than a defensive tackle.”
• Stratton on the Green Bay Way of drafting (20:00): “If you look at the Packers, boy, you want to talk about stockpiling picks. . . . This is something interesting I found out. The last time the Packers picked seven times in the draft: 2016. You got to go back 10 years . . . and even then, they had two sixes and no sevens. So even then they were jiggering their picks and trying to move up. 
• Stratton on how the Packers make their picks count (20:30): “The Packers have drafted in the seventh round 12 times since 2022. That’s amazing to me. In four years, on average, they’re picking up two extra sevens in addition to their own every year. Seven times since 2017 – seven times! – they’ve had multiple seventh-rounders. I mean, seventh-rounders, are you kidding me? Some teams . . . almost use seventh-rounders as a joke. Meanwhile, the Packers are going out and getting starters sometimes, but contributors more often than not by doing that.”
• David on how to evaluate the Dolphins’ personnel priorities (25:45): “Winning the trenches? Yeah, everybody in the league is saying that, but what it comes down to is, let’s see what you do in free agency this year and let’s see what you do in the draft. Put your money where your mouth is.”
• David on his NFL comp for Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza (28:37): “I’m gonna go old-school . . . I’m going back to (former Falcons QB) Matt Ryan for Fernando Mendoza. Obviously, I was not with the Falcons when they drafted him, but he was talked about, again, multiple times over the years. . . what they talked about in Atlanta with Matt Ryan, and what seems to keep coming up with Fernando, is leadership, tough dude, smart processor. Guys are going to follow him.”
• David on who performed best in the 2025 draft (48:28): “I’ve really had . . . honestly two teams that have kind of continued to rise to the top, and that’s the Patriots and Panthers. Those two have been my top two.”

After Serritella gave a review of the top performers in Orlando, David and Stratton had a robust discussion about several topics. It made for a fast-paced 48 minutes, and we think you’ll enjoy it. Check it out on audio wherever you listen to podcasts or on video here.

Mere weeks away: If you’re wondering when we’ll begin our exam prep program in earnest, the answer is . . . in a few weeks. In February, we’ll have our first exam prep Zoom session with Chicago-based agent Ian Greengross. Let us know if you’d like to be kept abreast of the schedule. As we’ve previously mentioned, we’re also planning to upgrade our practice exams this spring/summer in time for the exam phase. However, while your success on the exam is predicated on how you prepare and the steps you take to get ready, your success post-exam hinges on two other factors: cost and risk. What do we mean? Let us explain, which we do in this week’s post at Succeed in Football. If you hope to be an NFL agent, make sure to check it out.

Catching Up: Steve Kazor spent 15 years scouting for the Rams after a lengthy college and NFL coaching career. We caught up with him this year. 

• Where are you living and what are you doing now?: “Live in Argyle, Texas, and I’m just looking for opportunities.”
• Do you miss the job? What do you miss most?: “I miss the grind. I really do. My last year, (Rams head coach) Sean McVay gave me a shout out for writing 780 reports on players. I love the idea of a challenge, to go to all the schools I could, and when I found a guy . . . for example, I was on a cross-check at Oregon State. I hate crowds, so when I go to a game, I get there early. Jim Harbaugh was at Stanford then, and I coached him in Chicago, and I had an opportunity to see them play at Oregon State. So I get there at 9 a.m. for a 1 p.m. game, and I’m the first car there. I had to try five gates before I got in. So I’m helping (the maintenance crew) move tables and chairs, and this big, tall guy comes out, 6-foot-5 and 225, and I thought he might be a tight end. Then he starts getting the balls out and punting. When he hit a ball, it went ‘ba-wang’ echoing off the metal bleachers. I had never heard that sound since I scouted (former punter/kicker) Russell Erxleben at Texas. So I’m timing him, and his hang times are 5.01 (seconds), 5.02, 4.99, so I thought, this must be an underclassman. So I got behind him and watched him, and finally, I asked, ‘what’s your name?’ ‘Johnny Hekker.’ ‘What year of school are you in?’ ‘Senior.’ I told him, ‘I’m really impressed with what you’re doing.’ So he said, ‘thanks a lot.’ So during the game, he would roll right and rugby-kick. . . No traditional kicks all year. So when I got back for meetings, I said, ‘this is the next (Raiders hall of famer) Ray Guy,’ and all the young scouts said, ‘who’s Ray Guy?’ (laughs). We end up signing him as a free agent, and he ended up making All-Pro. Those are the things I miss. Like (Rams DE) Morgan Fox. I stopped by UC-Pueblo to watch an offensive tackle, who is in the league now, but I was watching Morgan Fox kick his butt in practice. So we signed Morgan Fox for like $1,000, and he’s still playing in the league. It was exciting.”
• Do you keep in touch with any of your former colleagues?: “Some, because a lot of the guys have retired. I don’t know as many. (Chargers head coach) Jim Harbaugh and I stay in touch a little. (Giants head coach) John Harbaugh and I know each other. I still text with (Rams GM) Les (Snead) and Sean McVay, and I have sent them some of my info. I have with a lot of other guys --(Assistant GM) Ian Cunningham in Chicago, (GM) Chris Ballard in Indianapolis, (Assistant GM) Ryan Grigson at Minnesota -- so I stay in touch with some of those guys.”
• Do you go to any live games (HS/college/pro)?: “I do. In fact, I came home from a trip one time, it was a Friday, and I say to my wife, ‘what do you want to do tonight?’ She said, ‘Friday night lights.’ So we went to go see Liberty Christian School play, and I’m in the parking lot, and here comes (then-Saints head coach) Sean Payton. So I said, ‘what are you doing here?’ And he said, ‘my daughter’s dancing at the game tonight.’ I coached Sean with the Bears.”
• Do you find yourself rooting for the NFL team in your region, the one you grew up rooting for, or the one with the most people you’ve worked with?: “Definitely the relationships. You pull for the guys you know. You want them to win and have success. As you’ve seen the last couple weeks (with the multiple head coaches being let go), it’s definitely ‘what have you done for me lately?’ Even acquaintances that I’ve had good dealings with I root for.” 

Review the latest from other former NFL scouts and executives by accessing our Catching Up archive here. Want to hear from a former scout, or know someone who may be interested in being interviewed? Let us know.

Next week: Outside of the NFL Combine, there won’t be a more important week for 2026 draft evaluation than the next seven days. Here in Frisco, and next week in Mobile (if we can get out of Texas), we’ll see some of the best and brightest prospects in the class. Here’s what’s ahead.

• We hope to have Agent Changes and Agents by Total Clients for January next week. It might be tough, given that it’s Senior Bowl week. We’ll give it a shot. 
• Check out the East and West rosters for the Shrine Bowl to find out who’s signed who.
• Go to the Rep Rumblings for all the buzz on who’s signing where and everything else associated with the business of the game.
• The 2026 Signings Grid is growing by the day, and sometimes by the hour. Don’t fall behind. Check it out regularly. 
• We’ll be back with the Succeed in Football Blog, with most likely a focus on the people aspiring to be contract advisors this year.
• This week’s edition of the Scouting the League Podcast will have exciting guests including Serritella on this best and worst from the Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl.
• The NFL Head Coaches and Agents Grid is getting updated almost daily. Make sure you’re monitoring it. 
• While you’re at it, keep an eye on the NFL Scouting Changes Grid and the College Scouting Changes Grid. 

This time of year, the business is exploding with new developments, and it’s almost impossible to keep pace. We’re here to help.