NFL Network's Mike Mayock Talks To Stampede Blue About Janoris Jenkins

NFL Network's Mike Mayock was made available to media at an NFL Play 60 event yesterday in NYC. There, Mayock took a few moments to answer some questions from Stampede Blue. Also present at the event were Ryan Van Bibber of TurfShowTimes.com along with Dan Rubenstein and crew from SBN Studios.

There is a sense among many that University of North Alabama (and former University of Florida) corner Janoris Jenkins is not graded by many teams as a first round prospect. The reasons are not his talent, but rather numerous "red flags" when it comes to his character off the football field. While character issues of this kind don't normally factor into how non-athletes are vetted for a potential job, the reality is that when billionaire owners are looking to give millions of dollars to 20-year-old kids that don't want to hand that kind of bread over to someone who might embarrass them with off-the-field activities.

With Jenkins, the allegations and admission of illegal drug use and fathering four children with three women has more than a few teams nervous about drafting him in the first round. Off-the-field issues like these got Jenkins kicked off the team at Florida in 2011. He played his 2012 season at North Alabama. If Jenkins is taken in the first round, but goes belly-up in a way that embarrasses the franchise, then that could cost the G.M. who drafted Mr. Jenkins his job.

However, there is no denying Jenkins' talent, and should he be there at pick No. 34 for the Indianapolis Colts tomorrow for Day Two of the 2012 NFL Draft, it's likely the rebuilding franchise will take a chance on him. Stampede Blue spoke to NFL Network's Mike Mayock about Jenkins' talent and red flags.

Brad: Do you see Jenkins falling out of the first round?

Mayock: I do. I think the two corners with first round talent that will fall out the first round are Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson.

Brad: Did you like Jenkins' tape?

Mayock: Love his tape! Great feet. You know, he's as natural a corner as there is in this draft, but there's a long litany of issues off the field. I don't see it happening in the first round.

At 5'10, 183 pounds, Jenkins does not have ideal size, but for a team like the Colts (who have drafted 5'8 guys in the past), a corner like Jenkins is actually an improvement. Mocking The Draft's scouting report on Jenkins sums him up as such:

The big knock on Jenkins is his character issues. Some teams will completely have him off their board. He was kicked out of Florida following a second drug-related arrest. Also arrested for a bar fight at Florida. At North Alabama he was suspended a game for throwing a punch at an opponent. Suffered a torn labrum in 2010.

But if you get past the non-football things with Jenkins, he's a great football player. He did well against A.J. Green and Julio Jones in 2010 and tends to play bigger than his size. However, the character issues will likely push him far down the draft board.

When we asked Mayock to sum up Jenkins talent, he gace us this:

Brad: If he didn't have the character flags, where would he go in this draft?

Mayock: He'd be a Top 10 or 12 pick, I think.

For a team like the Colts, starving for talent at virtually all positions (corner especially), a Top 10 talent like Jenkins potentially sitting there at No. 34 is too much to pass up. If he's there tomorrow, Indy would be dumb not to take him.