I Fought the Law
Every year around this time, when the attention turns towards the incoming rookies, we start to hear lots of phrases over and over. We of course hear about “potential,” “upside” and “athleticism,” but we also hear way too much about “character concerns” and “off the field issues.” The latter two are, of course, the ones who make waves from time to time.
Just because a player earns one of these titles doesn’t mean you need to steer clear of them. It does mean you need to carefully weigh the risk versus the reward, though. After all, players like Randy Moss, Brandon Marshall and Dez Bryant all had those labels. Then again, so did Titus Young and Aaron Hernandez. At the request of one of our twitter followers, Mike Beckley (@NFLLionBlood), I’m going to take a look back at the past and try to shed a little bit of light on exactly what some of the future rookies did to earn those titles to help you make the most informed decision possible as you look at these players.
It is important to note that not all players on this list are considered the same level of risks. In order to help at a glance, I’ve even each player a risk level. Players are listed in alphabetical order.
Jace Amaro, TE Texas Tech
Risk Level – Minor
Alleged Offenses – Fraud, Fighting during a game
One of (if not THE) top tight end in the draft class, Amaro isn’t quite as squeaky clean as we would like to see from a top prospect. He has a pair of minor infractions in his past that hint at some immaturity, if not questionable decision making. During his freshman year, he was arrested and charged with credit card fraud. The charges were later dropped, but that shouldn’t be a surprise considering it was a star college athlete and a minor charge. The other incident was when he was ejected from a game after punching a player on the other team.
Overall, I have very little concern about Amaro getting into trouble in the NFL. He might be a little naïve and immature, but he doesn’t have any major issues. As long as he ends up in a team with some veterans to show him how to be a star, I’m not concerned.
Chris Boyd, WR Vanderbilt
Risk Level – Moderate
Alleged Offenses – Sexual misconduct, Interfering with an investigation
The former Commodore was expected to compete for the Biletnikoff Award this year. He then ended up suspended and eventually dismissed from his football team when he was charged with having knowledge of and trying to help cover up a rape that one of his teammates allegedly committed. It has since been revealed there is no proof Boyd was present when the crime was committed, but there are still some major questions about his morality and decision making. He’ll face a stiff round of questioning from NFL teams, but he’s still likely to be drafted if he can convince teams that he had very little if anything to do with the incident. He definitely has talent, but he needs to find some good teammates to keep him out of trouble.
Ka’Deem Carey, RB Arizona
Risk Level – Minor
Alleged Offenses – Domestic dispute
Shortly after the 2012 season, Carey was involved in a domestic dispute with his pregnant ex-girlfriend. He was charged with misdemeanor assault as well as disorderly conduct. The charges were later dropped by his ex-girlfriend, so he never faced any legal discipline but he did get hit with a one game suspension from his school. As Ray Rice is teaching us, domestic disputes can be a major issue, but aside from this one issue, Carey has been free from any other character concerns or off the field issues. I have no concerns about Carey in the NFL in terms of future suspensions or legal trouble, though I hope for his sake this is the one and only time he has an issue with a woman carrying his future child.
Isaiah Crowell, RB Alabama State
Risk Level – Major
Alleged Offenses – Weapons, drug test, maturity
One of the most highly recruited players out of high school during the 2011 recruiting season, Crowell made a lot of headlines when he picked Georgia over almost every other school in the country. That’s part of why it was such a big deal when he was arrested on felony weapon charges and dismissed from the school. He had no choice but to drop down to the FCS to continue playing football. The gun charges were dropped because there was no solid proof they were Crowell’s. Unfortunately, it wasn’t his only issue. He also failed a drug test while at Georgia and there were numerous concerns about immaturity and his inability to handle the spotlight that was put on him.
The good news about Crowell is he was incident free for the last two years while he was at Alabama State. In fact, some have even called him a model teammate. It isn’t completely clear if the fall from grace woke him up or if his removal from the spotlight just made him more careful for a brief period. What will happen when he is suddenly wealthy and in the NFL is anyone’s guess, but based purely on talent he may be the best running back in this class.
Jeremy Hill, RB LSU
Risk Level – Major
Alleged Offenses – Sexual misconduct, Battery
Much like Crowell, Hill is one of the best running backs in this draft from a physical stand point. However, he has his own fair share of off the field issues. When he was an 18-year old senior in high school, he was sexually involved with a 14-year old girl. The details vary depending on the source, but the age difference makes it a crime regardless of the details. He was assigned probation as a result. If that was the only incident, it could be considered youthful indiscretion.
During this past July, one of Hill’s friends was in a dispute at a bar. When the other guy went to leave, Hill walked up behind him and struck him in the head. There was video evidence of the battery and Hill was again convicted, receiving more probation, which is still active today. While Hill’s offenses might not be as severe in the eyes of the law as Crowell’s, Hill’s convictions and active probation make him a pretty big risk. He’s going to need a strong coach and teammates to help keep him out of trouble in the NFL. In other words, if he goes to Miami or Oakland, I’m staying a long way away, even though I love the talent.
Carlos Hyde, RB Ohio State
Risk Level – Moderate
Alleged Offenses – Sexual misconduct, Contributing to delinquency of minors
Last summer, Hyde and some of his teammates were at a bar with some future recruits. For the record, Hyde was of legal age at the time, though not all of his teammates were. After that night, the police were approached by a woman who claimed Hyde had sexually assaulted her inside of the bar. Several weeks later, she refused to press charges in the incident. The only punishment Hyde faced was a three game suspension from his team. There are several poor choices made by Hyde with this incident. He took underage recruits to a bar and then allegedly assaulted a woman. This is the only known incident involving Hyde, but the fact Urban Meyer was his coach brings back memories of the issues Meyer had at Florida with the likes of Aaron Hernandez.
Colt Lyerla, TE Oregon
Risk Level – Major
Alleged Offenses – Cocaine
Based on just talent, Lyerla belongs in the discussion with Jace Amaro and Eric Ebron, maybe even ahead of them. Unfortunately, as we have seen over and over during the past few years, poor off the field choices can derail even the most promising career, especially when drugs are concerned. Shortly after the season started, Lyerla suddenly left his team, prompting many to speculate on his reasoning for such an action. The likely truth of the matter is that Lyerla had been arrested on cocaine possession and knew his time with the Oregon Ducks was at the end once they found out, so he quit.
Lyerla is going to face a lot of questions about substance abuse and teams are going to question if there is an addiction issue. With the recent issues of players like Fred Davis and Justin Blackmon, NFL teams are going to take substance abuse a little more seriously. Plus, it stands to reason someone using cocaine is also doing other things. It stands to reason that cocaine isn’t going to be someone’s first venture into substance abuse. The talent is supreme though, which means he is likely going to be drafted.
Johnny Manziel, QB Texas A&M
Risk Level – Moderate
Alleged Offenses – Maturity, Partying, Fighting, Attitude
In my eyes, Manziel is the embodiment of the entitlement generation. He really didn’t care about the established protocol, show respect to the past, nor believe he had to follow the rules. The success he had on the field instantly translated to him being untouchable in his mind and feeling he was larger than the team. He has more of a rock star or movie star mentality than that of a franchise quarterback. There have been numerous reports of his partying and drinking on campus and off. There have also been questions about the kind of teammate and leader he was on the field.
From a legal standpoint, Manziel has remained mostly clean. He was arrested for being involved in a fight back in 2012 and there could be some alcohol or other issues in the past that have been kept under wraps, but otherwise he is clean. The concern with him is more the attitude he carries, one that landed him in hot water at the Manning Passing Academy and with the NCAA.
Lache Seastrunk, RB Baylor
Risk Level – Minor
Alleged Offenses – Illegal Recruitment, Attitude, Transfer
The questions surrounding Seastrunk are more about questionable choices than about illegal activity. As far as we know, Seastrunk has been clean from a legal perspective. There are a lot of questions surrounding his recruitment out of high school by Oregon much like the past recruitments of Reggie Bush and Cam Newton. There are also some questions about his transfer from Oregon to Baylor and if they were in part due to him wanting to avoid a team imposed suspension for an undisclosed offense or if he just wanted to leave a team he didn’t feel believed in him. There have also been some questions about his ability to accept coaching and being a good teammate, but these could be coming mostly from his former team.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE Washington
Risk Level – Moderate
Alleged Offenses – Dedication to the game, DUI
One of the best tight end prospects heading into the 2013 season, ASJ fell off a little bit this year because he just didn’t seem to be working very hard. His weight and conditioning became a bit of an issue this year and he really didn’t seem to have a very high motor. His play definitely suffered and he didn’t take the next big step that was expected of him. Combine this with a DUI arrest this past year and you have a combination or questionable dedication to the game with poor off the field choices. It is a mix that will make most NFL teams think twice even if he has the talent to be a Rob Gronkowski kind of player. He’ll need to convince NFL teams he wants to be a star in the NFL and he doesn’t have alcohol issues.
James Wilder Jr, RB Florida State
Risk Level – Major
Alleged Offenses – Battery of a Police Officer, Resisting arrest, Alcohol, Failure to appear in court, Maturity
Looking at this year’s top draft prospects, Wilder is the one who best fits the description of “more of a headcase than a criminal.” This is the same description I would give to guys like Brandon Marshall, Titus Young, and Da’Rick Rogers. The list of offenses is rather lengthy and daunting, but the majority of them aren’t on par with weapon possession or drug use. He is someone who just makes really stupid choices and doesn’t understand how to be an upstanding citizen.
The battery and resisting arrest stem from the same incident. His long standing girlfriend failed to appear in court and the police were sent to their home to arrest her. First, Wilder tried to hide her, but when the police found her, he pushed one of the officers which started a physical altercation. He was given probation and forced to attend court ordered work camps. He then showed up to one of these work camp days with alcohol in his system (a violation of the court ordered terms) and was arrested and detained. On an unrelated incident, he was found to be driving on a suspended license, but failed to appear in court on those charges, leading to a third arrest.
Wilder doesn’t seem to think the laws apply to him or seems to think he is smart enough to get away with breaking them, which clearly isn’t the case. The issues are mostly minor, but the number of them could mean he will be a constant headache for the coaching staff. He could easily be someone who NFL teams need to keep a constant eye on, but I’m not sure his talent level is good enough for them to spend that kind of time and effort.
SUMMARY
As you can see, there are a lot of issues with some of the better prospects in this draft. One thing to remember in the NFL is talent trumps everything. Aaron Hernandez is a perfect example. However, from time to time, behavior and character definitely catch up to a player and the team they belong to. It is very important to weigh the risk of a player with the potential reward and possibly even more important to keep those risks in mind moving forward. If your roster is filled with character concerns, it is very possible for you to go from best to worst with a few bad choices by your players. On the other side, a little bit of risk is a good thing. Choose wisely.
- Final 2021 Pre-Draft Rookie Mock: Round Three - April 28, 2021
- Final 2021 Pre-Draft Rookie Mock: Round Two - April 26, 2021
- Final 2021 Pre-Draft Rookie Mock: Round One - April 25, 2021
