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NFL Draft: Are character concerns worth the risk?

Connor Hayes new author
Roar Rookie
25th April, 2017
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(Image: Wikicommons)
Connor Hayes new author
Roar Rookie
25th April, 2017
10

Every year, some of the biggest questions on the minds of National Football League (NFL) general managers entering the draft are whether it will be a worthwhile risk to invest in particular players with troubling pasts.

This year has been no different, as ‘character concern’ stories including Reuben Foster’s positive drug test and Joe Mixon’s assault have dominated headlines in the days approaching the draft. With several multi-million dollar decisions looming, let’s take a look at how character might affect these players draft positions.

It should affect position
Before selecting Charles Rogers second overall in 2003, the Detroit Lions heavily vetted the wide receiver following his failed drug test before the NFL Scouting Combine.

After speaking with his college coaches, friends, his agent, and even Charles himself, the team felt confident that drugs would not be an issue for him in his professional career.

However, after three lacklustre NFL seasons and three violations of the league’s substance abuse policy, Rogers would have been best off using his six-year, 39.5 million dollar contract to find a luxury rehab for marijuana.

Roger’s story could be a cautionary tale to teams around the league that despite saying the right things after an incident, drafting players that have these concerns could be a huge risk. For that reason, suspensions, drug problems, and arrests should all at least have some effect on how teams view different players.

Although this does not mean that drafting a player with similar issues as Charles Rogers will or will not work out for other teams.

Players with character concerns are undervalued
Kendall Weir and Stephen Wu of Hamilton College conducted a study that found that players with legal issues and suspensions go lower in the draft than equal players with clean records.

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Surprisingly, however, the researchers’ data showed that it could be worth the risk to draft players with character concerns. This is because such players typically perform at the same level as players with equal abilities with clean pasts, despite being drafted much lower on average.

While this does not mean that it is always worth drafting players with extra baggage, it does show that teams might be punishing players too much for off-the-field incidents on their draft boards. It might not always be the safe selection, but teams that are willing to take these chances might be rewarded with better players in lower rounds.

More than just ability
There is much more that goes into selecting a player outside of their ability on the football field. While a player like Joe Mixon, who would have likely been a first round pick if not for assaulting a woman in 2014, certainly has the physical tools, there is a chance that he will not be able to earn the respect of his teammates.

Detroit Lions guard T. J. Lang said, “It’s really tough because when it comes to that whole thing – to hitting a woman – it’s really tough to get past that when it’s out there.” when asked about the possibility of his team drafting him. Teams need to take various factors into account when drafting, including issues such as team chemistry, work ethic, and whether the players are at risk for suspensions.

As a fan, it is sometimes hard to look at players outside of their physical abilities, but that can make the difference between becoming an NFL superstar or a bust. Just look at 2007 first overall selection JaMarcus Russell, who had all of the physical tools to become an elite quarterback, but possessed none of the work ethic to make that happen.

On the other hand, there are players like Tyrann Mathieu who was able to become an accomplished player despite the drug problems and issues he experienced before entering into league.

The truth is that every player is different, and character concerns should be examined on a case-by-case basis by every team. Each player will come in with a certain amount of baggage, and the true test for NFL general mangers is identifying how much should impact their draft board positions.

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