Ole Miss defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche is one of the most physically gifted players in the 2016 NFL Draft class, but character issues have caused his stock to plummet. Is he doing himself any favors at the NFL Scouting Combine?
Yes and no.
Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole reports that Nkemdiche was “unimpressive” during interviews with NFL teams during the week.
“He had a very unimpressive time during interviews at the NFL Scouting Combine,” Cole said Sunday. “One assistant coach I talked to said, ‘Look, Ndkemdiche is a different dude. He’s a very different kind of guy — the kind of guy that you want to be careful with and really just doesn’t get what it takes to be a pro.'”
One NFL coach reportedly told Cole that he would not want Nkemdiche on his team, at least as a rookie. The coach said Nkemdiche is the kind of immature player that you would like to see go to another team first and “likely fail with that team” before realizing how seriously he has to take his NFL career.
In addition to admitting he was “lazy at times” while at Ole Miss, Nkemdiche has also had some trouble with the law. There were rumors that he was using synthetic marijuana before this crazy incident at a hotel back in December, though the 21-year-old insists he was only drinking alcohol and not using drugs.
Earlier in his college career, Nkemdiche was photographed holding a bong.
Despite the concerns, Nkemdiche is still expected to be drafted in the first round. He ran a 4.87 40-yard dash, which is outstanding for someone who is 6-foot-6 and weighs 294 pounds. He also had a 35-inch vertical leap.
