The Eric Wright Effect Entering last year's draft, draft pundits near and far agreed that cornerback Eric Wright had first-round talent written all over him. A starting corner at USC who dominated during his one year at UNLV, Wright's draft status took a major hit because of his dismissal from Southern Cal. Though the details were murky, teams shied away from the ultra-talented Wright, thinking it wasn't worth the hassle in the still-young Roger Goodell Era. Wright slipped all the way to No. 53, where the Browns gladly scooped him up. By the end of the season, he was starting for a team in the AFC playoff hunt, and making plays on a weekly basis. Wright wasn't the only player who slipped last year because of off-the-field issues. Marcus Thomas, a menacing defensive tackle while on the field at Florida, slipped to the fourth round, where the Broncos made him the 121st pick overall. Thomas started the last four games of the 2007 season for Denver and is thought to be one of their defensive cornerstones of the future. The Giants' seventh-round pick, Ahmad Bradshaw, had some off-the-field issues during his time at both Virginia and Marshall, too. He fell all the way to No. 250. Of course, this is nothing new. Whereas Lawrence Phillips was still drafted No. 6 overall despite a rap sheet a mile long, NFL stars Randy Moss, Warren Sapp, and Laveranues Coles all fell in their respective drafts because of off-the-field concerns. Who are some guys who might fall victim to the Eric Wright Effect this year? Here are just a few: Adarius Bowman, WR, Oklahoma State: Despite all the physical gifts in the world, Bowman may go undrafted. Though he put up fantastic numbers at OSU, teams will be gun shy about spending a draft pick on a player who left North Carolina after some off-the-field stuff in '05 and was arrested on a charge of marijuana possession just a few weeks before the NFL draft. Mario Manningham, WR, Michigan: Manningham's got the skills, the talent and the speed to be a real star at the next level. He does come with a bit of baggage, though. He was suspended in '07 for the Eastern Michigan game because of a violation of team policy, and there was an incident involving the cops last April. He's since come clean about the suspension and apologized, showing maturity in the process — but some teams may stay away, anyway. Virginia Tech cornerback Brandon Flowers may be slipping down the draft board. (Lance Leggett / Getty Images) Brandon Flowers, CB, Virginia Tech: Though nothing's been confirmed, there have been some rumors swirling about Flowers' off-the-field activities, as some suspicious photos appeared on his Facebook page and then leaked to TheBigLead.com in January. Yes, his Facebook page. The 2008 NFL Draft, folks! Jason Shirley, DT, Fresno State: Shirley was suspended three times last season, with the last one being for an indefinite amount of time. Not exactly the type of stuff you want highlighted at the top of your resume. Shirley most likely won't even be drafted. Surely. James Hardy, WR, Indiana: Hardy, the 6-foot-6 wide receiver out of Indiana, was arrested back in '06 and suspended for two games during his sophomore season. Though some teams will trust Hardy's matured in those two years, some may think they're better off just staying away. http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8003936/Two-first-rounders!?!-Dallas,-have-some-fun
Its a true boom or bust deal. You can get a heck of a player, but what happens when Brown punches out his girlfriend or gets caught with a load of MJ in the car or something similar? You have to decide if the incidents were a result of immaturity which can be overcome, or if its a behavioral pattern that may not stop. Look at Chris Henry, that kid had some big talent, and is throwing it away. Pacman? Same thing. Personally, Im all for staying away from those kinds of things. I realize people make mistakes, especially in college. But for me, the bottom line is that your about to get paid millions of dollars to play a game. If thats not incentive to stay outta trouble you can go take your thug *** to the unemployment line. If you can demonstrate to the management that youve turned a new leaf, Im willing to give someone a shot, but only at a bargain. And keep the rap sheet going, you can find yourself a new profession.
Wright's issues involved a very serious crime. Yes, he appears to have matured since then but any one of these guys listed above will surely get a second chance.
Very true, Eric had 136 extasy pills charges and I believe marijuana chargers. He has overcome his troubles and is now a good player in this league. But will these players gain that same maturity? It is a huge gamble to do what Cleveland did and I questioned them when they did do that but it worked out.
So far ... what happens when he relapses? Some players can turn themselves around. Likely when they realize that, holy ****, if I stay clean people will give me more money than I know what to do with! Some will fall back off the wagon. Like Rickey ... Thats why its dangerous to spend a high rounder on a person like that. You might get an allpro type guy, but you might be cutting his sorry *** after half a season and a lenghtening rap sheet. When he falls down the boards, his talent starts to show versus the others around him, and the money he will recieve will be less, thus making him more attractive and take a chance. At that point, if he bows out, you lose a 3-4-5 or lower, maybe a few hundred Ks, versus a 1-2 rounder and millions of dollars that will put your team in the ****ter again.
