Maybe the Ravens were attracted to safety Matt Elam by his size. Or his speed. Or his ball skills. Or his ability to deliver a hit.
Or maybe they like safeties who don’t have agents.
Former Ravens safety Ed Reed didn’t have an agent, hiring David Dunn only after Reed landed on the free-agent market and the Ravens weren’t stuffing enough cash into his pockets. And so, with the 32nd pick in the first round of the draft, the Ravens picked Florida safety Matt Elam.
Of all drafted players (and likely most if not all of the undrafted free agents), Elam is the only one whose official representative via NFLPA records is “Self.”
At this point, Elam doesn’t really need an agent. Instead, he needs to ask the NFLPA what the 32nd pick got last year, and he should probably wait until the 31st and 33rd picks sign their contracts in 2013, with the goal of fitting in the middle.
Eventually, however, he’ll need representation. Whether renegotiating with the Ravens or becoming a free agent, it’s too hard for a player to navigate that mine field on his own.