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It’s an age-old question for employers: How does one balance talent with eccentricity, or even full-blown baggage?
Those are the sorts of decisions that NFL personnel folks around the league are grappling with at this very moment.
The so-called “red flags” range in origin. There are injuries (Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith), those reported to carry questionable attitudes (Connor Cook, Christian Hackenberg) and then those who fell several stories out of a hotel window while influenced by some sort of substance (Robert Nkemdiche).
Then there are players who make a bad choice and get arrested, possibly as a one-off — but the timing is terrible (Dak Prescott).
Still, recent history tells us that “red flag” players still have every opportunity to latch onto an NFL roster and become good professional players. In other words, even if NFL general managers downgrade Nkemdiche, Prescott or other draft hopefuls, those with real talent will get every opportunity to prove themselves worthy of a major role at the next level.
Here are some recent examples of “red flag” players who have thrived in the NFL.
SEC EXAMPLES
LSU DB Tyrann Mathieu: Booted from LSU after reports of multiple failed drug tests, Mathieu went from one of the most beloved non-quarterbacks in the SEC in recent memory to sidelined for the entire 2012 season. That’s not to mention that he measured 5-foot-8 and 3/4 at the NFL Combine. “Honey Badger,” as he was known in college, worked to distance himself from that persona as an understudy to former teammate Patrick Peterson on the Arizona Cardinals. In three seasons, he’s made eight interceptions and earned a spot on the NFL’s All-Pro team in 2015.
Missouri DE Shane Ray: The SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year after a spectacular 2014, most draftniks penciled in Ray as a mid-first round pick. That is, until he got cited for marijuana possession on April 27 — just three days prior to the 2015 NFL draft. He also was afflicted with a foot injury similar to turf toe. Still, the Denver Broncos selected him with the 23rd overall pick. As a rookie, Ray made 4 sacks while contributing on a defense that helped stonewall the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.
Florida CB Janoris Jenkins: A talent perhaps on par with Vernon Hargreaves III, Jenkins got dismissed by the Gators after multiple arrests, including fighting and drug possession. He went through the North Alabama football program before eventually becoming a second-round pick. After a strong first four seasons, Jenkins just signed a five-year, $62.5 million contract with the New York Giants.
LSU RB Jeremy Hill: Arrested twice while in college — once for sexual assault and another for battery — Hill missed the entire 2011 season and was only allowed back on the team when coach Les Miles advocated for a team vote to determine his status. (Perhaps recognizing Hill’s talent, the players relented, and Hill rushed for 1,401 yards in 2013.) A second-round pick in ’14, Hill rushed for more than 1,100 yards as an NFL rookie and then added 11 touchdowns in ’15.
Auburn QB Cam Newton: Although he entered the NFL draft as the consensus No. 1 overall pick, Newton still carried a few red flags. He was dismissed from the University of Florida after stealing a laptop. Then there were allegations — never proven — that Newton’s dad sought a six-figure payment during his recruitment from Blinn College. At any rate, Newton continues to be polarizing as a sometimes-cocky, gregarious quarterback. But he’s been an active community volunteer in Carolina, where he led the Panthers to a Super Bowl 50 appearance this year as an All-Pro.
EXAMPLES FROM ELSEWHERE
Florida State QB Jameis Winston: His college resume included an entire gamut of missteps, from the petty (shouting an untoward phrase in the student union, a BB gun complaint) to the face-palm type (shoplifting crab legs) and the downright serious (a rape allegation that never led to formal charges). But he still earned the No. 1 overall draft pick and became NFL Rookie of the Year in 2015 after accounting for 28 touchdowns in his first season.
Arizona State LB Vontaze Burfict: He struggled with all sorts of issues in college, from academic eligibility to personal fouls to a positive test for marijuana at the NFL combine. Regarded as a first-round talent entering his junior season, Burfict entered the draft early but was not selected. He’s made 401 tackles in four NFL seasons — remember, this is as an undrafted free agent. But another personal foul penalty cost the Bengals dearly in a January playoff loss, and Burfict faces a three-game suspension in 2016.
Oklahoma State WR Dez Bryant: Entering the draft with well-known character concerns, Bryant also endured a suspension in 2009 for failing to fully disclose his interaction with Deion Sanders. He slipped in the draft, but not far, as Dallas selected him at No. 24 overall. From 2012 to 2014, he strung together three consecutive 1,200-yard seasons and even earned All-Pro honors in ’14. All hasn’t been smooth, as he was arrested in 2012 for allegedly striking his biological mother.
OLDIES BUT GOODIES
Marshall WR Randy Moss: Dismissed from Notre Dame before he ever enrolled due to a high school fight, Moss subsequently lost his scholarship at Florida State due to a positive test for marijuana. He did not show up to the NFL combine in ’98 — some speculated it was to avoid a drug test — but still became a first-round pick as the Minnesota Vikings took him at No. 21 overall. Moss produced more than 15,000 receiving yards and 156 touchdowns at the NFL level as one of the greatest receivers of all-time.
Miami DT Warren Sapp: Days before the NFL draft, reports surfaced of multiple failed drug tests (cocaine and marijuana). Sapp still insists an anonymous source fabricated the reports to hurt his draft stock, and Tampa Bay selected him at No. 12 overall in 1995. A seven-time Pro Bowl selection, Sapp made 96.5 sacks during his Hall of Fame NFL career, earning a spot on the NFL’s All-Decade team for both the ’90s and ’00s. Still, he got into several on-field controversies, not to mention his arrests for domestic battery (2010) and suspicion of soliciting a prostitute and assault (2015).
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
