Special Agent Myles Humphrey discusses his path from the NFL to the Secret Service
Special Agent Myles Humphrey knows firsthand the highs and lows many of the hundreds of NFL Draft-eligible players experience every Spring. The 29-year-old Humphrey spent nearly two decades on the gridiron playing defense. During his football career, he acquired many of the same life skills that eventually made him a fit for the U.S. Secret Service where he now helps defend democracy daily. “The discipline it requires to become a professional athlete, or an athlete at a high level in general, it’s a serious commitment to perfecting your craft. I see that especially with the Secret Service,” said Humphrey, who is assigned to the Washington Field Office. The 2025 NFL Draft takes place from April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It’s a time that holds special meaning for Humphrey, who participated in the 2018 NFL Draft and played on the practice squad for three National Football League teams. A native of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Humphrey had high hopes when he entered the draft following his senior year at Division II Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The All-American defensive end and outside linebacker was in touch with representatives from about half of the NFL’s teams leading up to the first round. “As we got closer to the draft, I heard from a lot of teams. At least 10 or 15 teams called me personally and were like, ‘Hey, Myles, we like your film’,” Humphrey said. But Humphrey didn’t receive his phone call during the televised draft. “The draft happens, I thought I personally did enough to be a day three draft pick (rounds 4-7), but it just didn’t happen,” he said. | Recruiting the Best |
| Shawn Timberlake, Supervisory Special Agent assigned to the Office of Recruitment, focuses on student athlete recruitment, traveling around the country providing college athletes with information about career opportunities and life at the agency. |
While Humphrey went undrafted the Baltimore Ravens offered him a tryout at their rookie minicamp.
“It went from a dream at five years old to reality at 22,” said Humphrey, who played for the Ravens, New York Giants, and the former Washington Redskins.
He did enough in those Ravens practices to impress the coaches and earn a contract.
“When they signed me, it was like a moment of relief, a moment of just like all of your hard work finally coming to fruition,” Humphrey said.
After playing in five games during the 2018 preseason, Humphrey was signed to the Ravens’ practice squad. He was released three weeks into the regular season.
He wasn’t out of work for long, however. The Giants signed him to their practice squad a couple weeks later. There his tenure lasted until the following spring. New York released him and Humphrey signed with Washington for the 2019 training camp. Growing up outside of Washington, D.C., nothing could be better than playing for his hometown team.
However, his NFL career came to an end just two games into the 2019 preseason. Humphrey suffered a serious knee injury against the Cincinnati Bengals on August 15, 2019. That was the last time he would take the field.
“I pretty much spent the rest of that year on injured reserve, as well as that following year was COVID. So, I pretty much played two seasons and spent about a year-and-a-half trying to rebuild my body,” Humphrey said. “That’s when it was kind of like, ‘Ok, I need to transition.’”
After a couple years working for the Department of Homeland Security, Humphrey applied to join the Secret Service. He spent nearly a year training to become a special agent before being assigned to the field office. He’s been with the Secret Service for the past seven months.
Moving from sports to law enforcement is a perfect fit for former athletes, he said. And Humphrey lists teamwork as one of the biggest traits that translates from the football field to the Secret Service.
“Being in the NFL, it’s eleven guys on defense and on offense. It’s not just one person. So, it’s how do you jell with your peers, your teammates to accomplish one mission?” Humphrey said. “That’s the same thing with the Service. We’re a team. We all work together to accomplish that mission that we have.”
The task of designing and executing game plans in his former career also helps him in his current job.
“That’s no different than doing site advances. How do you come together with your team to build up a strategy to make this venue, this site, as secure as possible for your protectee? It’s the same thing,” Humphrey said.
He believes other similarities between professional sports and being a special agent include the intense physical fitness requirements for both jobs, as well as the ability to adapt on the fly.
“There is constant change in the realm of sports. It just gives you that training to be able to adjust to new environments, to constant changes. You obviously see that in the Service. We saw that with the inauguration,” Humphrey said, referencing this year’s Presidential Inauguration when events were moved indoors due to the bitter cold weather.
Even though he stopped suiting up in pads five years ago, Humphrey said he still follows the game. He plans to watch the upcoming draft with fellow members of the National Football League Players Association’s Washington D.C. Chapter.
That is unless duty calls and he must wear his new uniform of a suit, badge and earpiece. It’s a uniform Humphrey strongly recommends for collegiate and former pro athletes looking to apply the skills they learned in countless practices and games in a new way.
“I think that it’s a great fit for any athlete that is looking for a meaningful career in public service.”