Former Florida cornerback Janoris Jenkins returns an interception for a touchdown during the first half of Florida's game against Miami (Ohio) on September 4, 2010 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.
(Rob C. Witzel/Staff photographer)
Janoris Jenkins was among those invited to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, and he’ll be bringing more luggage than arguably any other player.
Sift through it and one can find his Parade magazine All-American honor as a high school senior, his 2008 Freshman All-American award in his first year as a Gator, and maybe even the shoulder brace that he secretly wore all through a 2010 junior season in which he still earned a first-team All-SEC honor.
However, keep searching and one will find three off-the-field incidents:
May 2009: Arrested on misdemeanor affray charges after being involved in a fight and fleeing police. Gainesville Police arrested Jenkins near a bar for fighting and resisting arrest after punching a man in the head around 2 a.m. They were forced to use a taser on Jenkins after the fighting escalated. He agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement on that charge and was placed on six months’ probation.
January 2011: Arrested for a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge.
April 2011: Arrested and charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession. Gainesville police said they found a marijuana cigar in the console of the vehicle Jenkins had been sitting in at a downtown parking lot. He was issued a notice to appear on a charge alleging possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana.
His last run-in with authorities, which was his second drug-related arrest in three months, forced Florida coach Will Muschamp to dismiss him from the team. Jenkins eventually played his senior year at North Alabama.
Questions have piled up on his character, and so has the hoard of talented cornerbacks in this year’s NFL draft, but that won’t stop Jenkins’ stock from rising above it all. Many draft experts believe Jenkins is the third or fourth best cornerback on the board, and ESPN NFL Draft Insider Todd McShay even has Jenkins being selected No. 14 overall by the Cowboys. That’s assuming LSU’s Morris Claiborne and Alabama’s Dre Kirkpatrick will already be taken before Dallas, which saw its pass defense crumble this season, is on the clock. It’s well known that the Cowboys don’t shy away from players with character concerns (see Dez Bryant, first-round pick in 2010).
As of Jan. 24, Jenkins had spoken to five NFL teams.
“I just go in as who I am,” Jenkins told ESPN. “I tell them what happened and be honest because I did it. I made a mistake and I take full responsibility for it. I’m sure I have to deal with it. I’m looking forward to it. I have nothing to hide. I just go in and they ask me the question and I give it to them and be honest. I just look them in the eye and let them know I can be honest.”
Many scouts had their eyes on Jenkins in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 28 to see how he would do against some of the top receivers in the nation, and the 5-foot-10, 191-pounder showed all the qualities that made him a standout with the Gators. His footwork, instincts, closing speed and ability to blow up a play in the air downfield or on the ground in the backfield were all on display. Despite his size, Jenkins is a tremendous cover corner who thrives as a man-to-man defender. He’s also very physical and is a superb tackler at his position.
Some players are given a second chance at the next level. Not many are given a fourth. The fact that Jenkins could still be a first-round pick should not only reveal just how good the Pahokee native is, it should prove how committed he is. He could’ve sat on the sidelines when he suffered that torn labrum as a junior at UF. Instead, he played in every game except for the Outback Bowl and quite possibly had his best season while competing in the nation’s best conference. He could’ve faded into oblivion after being kicked out of one of the nation’s premier football programs. Instead, he went to a Division II school so he’d be eligible to play out his senior year and stay in football shape.
“It was difficult. It was an experience. It humbled me down a lot. I went from a Nike school where you could have everything you wanted to going to a Division II school where you get one pair of cleats for the whole season,” Jenkins told The Associated Press. “The environment was totally different, going from 95,000 fans at The Swamp to 3,500 at UNA.”
There’s no doubt a team will take a chance on Jenkins come April 26-28. But like many other hopeful draft picks with character concerns, making the most of that opportunity will depend on whether he decides to travel a little lighter.
