The NFL recently held its annual job fair. Like most hiring processes, applicants presented their best self, polished up their resume, bragged on their skill set, and prayed for the best. Some people got hired because they were skilled and interviewed well, while others didn’t get the job for various reasons. And although it seems that the individual who is applying for the job has the toughest time, it’s not. Just behind the scene, like a master puppeteer is one who is grinding to not just get their client hired but get him the best deal possible, the NFL agent. Most people believe that all an agent does is show up, sign the contract for the player and collects his fee. But that is far from the truth as I witnessed firsthand just a fraction of what goes on behind the scene. Truth be told, I think I would rather just show up in athletic tights with no shirt and run the 40-yard dash for NFL scouts. That would be easier than everything an agent goes through to make sure he gets what’s best for his client. Come go with me to take a look inside the world of an NFL agent.

As I pulled up to the Athletic Performance Lab located in Katy, Texas, I was greeted by a gentleman that was very mild mannered with a very laid back attitude. We walk through the facility that on any other day you could find top-notch athletes from all sports training. But on this day the only noise that can be heard is the constant ringing of a phone as notifications came across the young man’s phone who was leading me to the “War Room.” That sound is music to a sports agent’s ears, especially during NFL Draft season. I asked the gentleman, “What advice would you give a high school athlete who wants to hear their name potentially called on this day in a few years?” He looks at me and says, “Keep your grades up, work harder than the next person by getting into places like this to improve your skills, and most importantly, and stay out of any controversial or idiotic subject on social media. That is the quickest way for a team to walk away from you.” That is sound advice from one who knows, meet Corey Williams, an NFL Agent.

Williams has always been surrounded by all things football beginning with his hometown of Orange, Texas. Most people outside of the great state of Texas have never heard of the small football factory where Williams grew up but I am sure they know some of its most famous hometown heroes. Do first round draft picks Earl Thomas of Seattle and Kevin Smith of the Dallas Cowboys ring any bells? They come from the same streets Williams grew up playing on. But unlike them, Williams knew going to the pros for football wasn’t in his future. “Growing up, I knew that I didn’t have the athletic prowess to be like Shaq or former Dallas Cowboys OL Larry Allen. So, I decided that I wanted to do something that would afford me the opportunity to be around world class athletes,” says Williams when asked how he got into sports management. After earning his bachelor degree from Prairie View A&M University, he decided that he wanted more and went to law school to become an attorney specializing in sports law and personal injury. He eventually went on to open his own sports management agency, Overtime Sports Management Group LLC, with his business partner William Felix III in 2010.

Seven years later Williams is representing the best of the best trying to get them that all important NFL contract. During our conversation, Williams looks at his draft board and then writes a couple of notes down on his legal pad, which now contains so much information it looks like a 3-year-old’s doodle paper. “The Cowboys just took another defensive back,” he says. This hurts him a bit and causes him to show a small amount of emotions due to the fact one of his clients, Coastal Carolina S Richie Sampson, was a potential draft pick headed that way. “Draft day can be a little nerve wrecking because you think you have a feel for where your player could be drafted by talking to scouts and others in player personnel. And then at the drop of a dime things can change.” And that’s the nerve wrecking part the average sports fan never sees.

As the draft day concludes, Williams begins working the phones trying to get his players’ free agent contracts or at least an invitation to a mini-camp where a player can get looked at exclusively from a team. The hard work and dedication pays off once the Houston Texans call and offers former Texas Christian University WR/ST speedster Deante’ Gray a free agent contract. “That’s what makes this day so special to me. Helping make a young man’s dream come true,” Williams expressed to me.

However, the process doesn’t stop there. Williams works the phone talking to numerous NFL teams until he lands the aforementioned Sampson two rookie mini camps spots with the Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans.

I make mention of the day being done and he just laughs at me and says, “Actually it is just starting.” Williams packs up his things into his briefcase. Calls some other clients, like Jake Schum of the Green Bay Packers, just to check on them. And heads out the door to meet Gray to sign the contract. I then realized that there is no such thing as an off-season for an NFL agent. That work ethic is something his clients appreciate. “Corey has done a tremendous job as an agent since we first met by doing things like constantly informing me on everything I could expect out of this process. He has been very upfront with absolutely everything and has a clear motivation to do things that are in my best interest,” said 2017 Houston Texans Rookie Free Agent WR Deante’ Gray.

Guys dreaming of being on the gridiron as a pro baller need someone like Williams in their corner. He is going to keep pushing for them until he makes their dreams come true. And then he is going to push some more. He will never rest because it’s all in day’s work for an NFL agent.