As Blake McFarland came bounding through the doors of Gallery 85, Patrick Powell figured he was looking at yet another football player hoping to make a connection with his boss. In a way, he was right.
It was 2015, and Powell was managing the art gallery on behalf of his client Vernon Davis, an N.F.L. tight end who was playing with San Francisco at the time. While their main clientele was art buyers, more than a few former college football and N.F.L. practice squad players would pop in hoping that Davis could help them get another shot at the league.