Sometimes a prospect or parent will ask me, "if the salaries for drafted players are slotted, why can't I just represent myself?" The answer is you can, but you only have one opportunity to do this right. Think of it like building your dream home. Even the do-it-yourself builders know they often have to bring in other contractors to set the foundation, do the electrical work or lay the plumbing to help their dream house get built. An NFL football prospect has his hands full training, meeting with teams and preparing full time for his new job in the four months after his college career ends. It is an agent's job to know the difference between a split contract and a partially guaranteed contract or to know what incentives a player might be eligible for based upon prior drafts and historical negotiations with NFL teams. An agent has information provided by the NFLPA concerning the contracts of every active player, options, bonuses and timings of payments that a player may not be able to easily interpret. Selling the player to teams during the all star game and combine process, along with the interviewing and test taking skills provided by an agency can make the difference between being a 2nd round pick or a 7th round pick. I know that if one of my three sons were in your shoes I would not want to look back and think we bit off more than we could chew by them trying to represent themselves.