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Labor and Agents

Agencies stock their rosters ahead of the NFL draft

NFL agent Joel Segal, who leads the American football division of global agency Lagardère Sports, has signed several highly rated prospects for this year’s NFL draft, including projected top-10 picks Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III and Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner.

The other players in Lagardère’s draft class, all of whom are invited to the NFL combine this week, are Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook, Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple, Michigan State defensive end Shilique Calhoun, TCU wide receiver Josh Doctson, West Virginia safety Karl Joseph, Michigan State wide receiver A.J. Troup and West Virginia cornerback Daryl Worley.

SEGAL

Segal and agents Chafie Fields and Greg Barnett represent the players.

“This year’s NFL draft class is one of the best, if not the best, for Lagardère Sports since Joel joined the company in 2010,” said Andy Pierce, Lagardère Sports Americas president and CEO. “Joel has a great track record of identifying players that make impacts on and off the field as professionals, and we look forward to having this new group reach tremendous heights as part of the Lagardère Sports family.”

Lagardère Sports is a division of Paris-based media conglomerate Lagardère Group. Segal has represented multiple first-round draft picks every year for the last 10 years, and Pierce noted that he’s on track to do it again this year.

Cook is one of four quarterbacks who could be taken in this year’s first round, according to Rob Rang, CBS Sports senior draft analyst. Rang has Cook rated third, behind North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz and Cal’s Jared Goff, but before Memphis’ Paxton Lynch.

Segal wouldn’t comment about where Cook might be drafted but said, “It’s a quarterback-driven league. Connor has prototypical quarterback size, a powerful arm; he’s very accurate and his winning record of 34-5 speaks of leadership.”

Segal said all of his new clients are preparing for the combine, where clubs can request private interviews to, among other things, test a player’s football knowledge.

“What I have noticed this year is an amazing intensity,” Segal said. “Each guy — to a man — is laser focused on getting better.”

> ELEMENT SIGNS NFL PROSPECTS: Element Sports Group has signed several prospects for the NFL draft, including Clemson defensive end Kevin Dodd, who recorded three sacks in the national championship game against Alabama.

Atlanta-based Element Sports Group also signed high-profile prospects Ohio State linebacker Joshua Perry and Clemson safety T.J. Green. Those players and five others — Auburn running back Peyton Barber, Western Michigan offensive tackle Willie Beavers, Florida defensive end Alex McCalister, Georgia offensive tackle John Theus and South Carolina running back Brandon Wilds — are all scheduled to participate at the NFL combine this week in Indianapolis.

NFL agents Michael Perrett and Kevin McGuire, who founded Element Sports Group in 2014, will represent the players.

Perrett said he is getting a lot of questions about Dodd, who last year recorded 24 tackles for a loss and 12.5 sacks.

“What [NFL scouts] really want to know about him is who he is as a person, because he came out as a junior,” Perrett said. Dodd is training in and around Clemson, where he is taking two classes so he can graduate with a degree in sociology. Asked how the scouts like that, Perrett said, “Love it.”

> NFL AGENT SWITCHES: While NFL agents are signing prospective rookies, they also are signing veterans who have switched agents, including Drew Rosenhaus, who signed Pittsburgh Steelers safety Will Allen and Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen. Will Allen was formerly represented by The Institute for Athletes and Impact Sports. Dwayne Allen was represented by Relativity Sports. … Green Bay Packers cornerback Casey Hayward has signed with NFL agent David Mulugheta of Athletes First. He had been represented by XAM Sports. … New York Giants tight end Will Tye has signed with CAA Sports, where a team of agents led by Patrick Collins will represent him. … Carolina Panthers left tackle Michael Oher has left CAA Sports. Oher had no agent as of last week.

Liz Mullen can be reached at lmullen@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @SBJLizMullen.

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