Character and Work Ethic Paramount in Upcoming Draft

In this time of great uncertainty for the NFL, with free agency up in the air and no one knowing when the players will get into camp or even be able to play their next game, coaches and player personnel really need to do their homework on the personalities of the players in this draft. Because of the uncertainty revolving around when the new collective bargaining agreement will be finalized, teams must place more importance than ever on players’ character concerns, especially when it comes to players’ dedication to football and overall work ethic.

With rookies possibly not being able to join their teams until August or September, instead of May or June mini camps, this rookie class will not only have significantly less time to get used to their new coaches and systems, it’s a lot of time for them to get out of football shape. The physical transition from college to the NFL is difficult for all rookies (look at USC’s Joe McKnight’s inability to stop puking during his first few weeks with the Jets). Months of lost time with strength and conditioning coaches will be hard to make up even for the most motivated players, but for some rookies it could spell disaster. This may sound over dramatic, but think about how many unmotivated players have set their franchises back for years, especially for teams picking in the top 10.

Ryan Leaf was once considered for the top overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, but the Colts were smart enough to take Peyton Manning with the first pick. The Chargers were not so lucky and they ended up taking Leaf second overall. Leaf only lasted three years in San Diego, and in the NFL, because of a poor attitude and work ethic. He is now possibly the most well know draft bust of all time. The Chargers could have been decimated for even more years if they hadn’t been handed Phillip Rivers and a third round pick for Eli Manning in the 2004 draft.

The Detroit Lions are still a work in progress thanks to the bumbling trio of Charles Rogers (2^nd overall 2002), Joey Harrington (3^rd overall 2003), and Mike Williams (10^th overall 2005), all highly thought of players who did not have the work ethic in order to contribute anything to the lowly Lions. The Lions have been terrible at drafting in all rounds, but their failures in the first round is what has kept them in the bottom half of the league.

Most recently, Oakland’s failed Jamarcus Russell experiment was the most expensive draft bust in league history. The guy made over 30 MILLION dollars for playing two and a half seasons (he held out until mid September of 2007 and only played in 4 games that season) and has left the Raiders scrambling for a franchise quarterback and has cost numerous coaches their jobs in Oakland. Last season, the Raiders first season without Russell as their starting quarterback since he was drafted, was the first time the Raiders have won more than five games since they went to the Super Bowl in 2003.

All of these players had the benefit of getting into camp on time and having the chance to get their careers on track, with the exception of Russell’s self imposed hold out. This is something that the 2011 rookies might not get to benefit from, which could cause the rookies’ careers to peter out as quickly as Russell’s, who had the shortest career of any player to be drafted number one overall.

Not only is it important for teams to flag players with character concerns, but they also have to get a better understanding of the details of the character concerns. There are two examples just from last year’s draft class that show how a player’s character concern can get blow out of proportion.

Oklahoma State’s wide receiver Dez Bryant had been suspended for almost all of his junior season because of lying to the NCAA. While this caused many teams to pass on him, if teams had looked deeper into the issue, they would have realized that this incident should not have caused him to slide down teams’ draft boards. Bryant had simply gotten nervous and made a stupid mistake by lying to the NCAA about a visit he had with Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. The nature of the visit was actually not against any NCAA rules, but the fact that he lied about it was what got him in trouble. It was a stupid mistake, but who doesn’t make stupid mistakes when you are twenty years old? He never displayed signs of being a pathological liar and this had nothing to do with his dedication to football. He ended up being drafted 24^th overall by the Cowboys, despite being considered a top 10 talent. If he had not missed the end of the season with a foot injury, he probably would have pushed Sam Bradford for Rookie of the Year after scoring 8 TDs in only 12 games. Despite getting himself into some trouble recently, I still don’t think it will affect his play on the football field. He could be the dominant wide receiver the Cowboys have been looking for since Michael Irvin retired a decade ago.

Another great example from last year’s draft class is yet another wide receiver. Syracuse’s Mike Williams had a lot of team worried about his character concerns, despite being a dominant player through his college career. However, the majority of his problems stemmed from him struggling with his academics, not with his responsibilities to his football team. No offense to any wide receivers out there, but you don’t need to be an A student to play wide receiver. Despite his impressive performances and his continued improvement through four years of college, he fell all the way to the Buccaneers in the fourth round. He immediately became an integral part of the Bucs’ improvement from 3 wins to 10 wins and was the most consistent target for Josh Freeman all year. He ended up placing second to Sam Bradford for Offensive Rookie of the Year and left GM’s wondering why they had passed up on an impressive young man who seems to be one of the rising stars at his position.

While only time will tell how Bryant and Williams’ careers will pan out, I don’t see them becoming less productive players than they were during their rookie campaigns. What was extremely impressive about both of these receivers was their consistency in every game they played in. They didn’t put up huge performances one game and then disappear the next. They played hard every time they were on the field and always made plays when they got the ball in their hand. When you consider that wide receiver is one of the toughest positions for a player to make a transition from college to the NFL, it is hard for me to envision either player taking a step backwards next season.

The moral of the story here is that a player’s personality has a lot to do with the type of football player they are going to become. I’m not saying all productive football players have to be “good guys,” but they do have to take their profession seriously and have the dedication to keep their bodies in football shape even when they aren’t playing football. If any of these rookies take even one month off from training, it could set back their careers significantly. With many of the top prospects carrying sort of personal baggage, it is an extremely dangerous time to be one of the teams picking in the first half of the draft.