As college players get ready for the 2012 NFL Draft to be held in April, their agents are going to tell them to do everything they can to wow the various scouts and personnel of NFL clubs. That’s not only on the field but off the field as well, as character concerns and personality quirks can drop a guy from a team’s draft board entirely. Thus, the recent arrest of Dre Kirkpatrick was not exactly the best news his agent could have received.
Kirkpatrick was arrested days ago for possession of marijuana and many wondered whether it would drop the cornerback down draft boards. But even last year’s top pick, Cam Newton, didn’t come with a squeaky clean background and it didn’t effect him. In other words, this lone arrest for Kirkpatrick doesn’t automatically mean falling several rounds.
“How will this week’s arrest affect Kirkpatrick’s draft status or the Panthers’ possible interest in him?” asks Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer. “Not much, unless NFL teams determine it’s just one of several red flags for Kirkpatrick.”
That’s the key here. Is this a pattern or a kid being a kid? Will Kirkpatrick be a habitual offender and deal with legal issues while on an NFL roster or will he learn his lesson and not be an issue at all — like the Chiefs Justin Houston this season? Those are the questions to be asked and answered these next few months as teams want to know what they are getting.