Patience is becoming Michael Floyd’s virtue of choice.
He was forced to be patient during his freshman and sophomore seasons when, despite solid production, he was outshone by teammate Golden Tate. He chose to be patient this winter when he decided to return to Notre Dame even though he was the number three wide receiver on many NFL Draft boards. And he will need to be patient again this spring as he faces the fallout from his second alcohol related arrest in just fourteen months.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly’s decision to suspend Floyd indefinitely has started the churning of the rumor mill. What will happen to Floyd’s draft prospects? Will he opt to enter the Supplemental Draft? Will he transfer to an FCS school so that he can play immediately? Or will he remain at Notre Dame and ride it out?
The school’s history of dealing with alcohol-related incidents gives little indication of what will become of Floyd. In 2008, tight end Will Yeatman was suspended for both the lacrosse and football seasons after two violations of driving while under the influence. However, Yeatman was eligible to return to the team the following spring, before deciding to transfer to Maryland. Perhaps more importantly, Yeatman is not the talent that Michael Floyd is.
It seems cruel to say, but college programs generally go easier on star players. For example, in July of 2008, Ohio State decided not to suspend Doug Worthington following a DUI, even though third-string QB Antonio Henton was suspended seven games the year before for soliciting a prostitute. Ditto for Florida Gators defensive end Carlos Dunlap whose suspension was controversially lifted after less than three weeks despite being found passed out behind the wheel at a traffic intersection. With five months to go until the 2011 college season starts, there’s ample time for Notre Dame to “punish” Floyd without having their star miss any games.
But the most important factor in Floyd’s decision might be the limited alternatives. Transferring to an FCS school may assure the wide receiver that he can play immediately, but it would only amplify his off-field problems. Many of the most recent players to follow this route, like Hampton’s Kenrick Ellis, have seen their transgressions put under an even greater microscope. To scouts in the draft community, transferring out of the FBS appears more like a tactical retreat and a way to avoid guilt than staying put and waiting out your punishment.
Floyd could also enter July’s supplemental draft, but with the lockout, there is no guarantee that it will even take place. The supplemental draft is covered in the old CBA, but that agreement only lasts through the end of the NFL Draft. A new CBA would need to be agreed upon before the supplemental draft could even take place.
Which leaves staying at Notre Dame as Floyd’s best option to recapture his draft stock.
He could prove too valuable for Notre Dame to keep off the field. Many people, including Optimum Scouting, had Floyd has a late-first or early-second round pick. It’s a grade that likely makes him too talented a player to keep out of the draft as well. But, if he were to see the field at Notre Dame, his stock could soar again.
NFL teams have a history of giving players a chance despite off field concerns if they’ve either turned a corner in their personal lives or are simply too talented to pass on. Floyd has a chance to fall into both categories. He could be, to a lesser extent, a Michael Vick story of repentance and responsibility. Or he could be next year’s Cam Newton or Rolando McClain, a player under a microscope for off-field transgressions that still manages to crack the top 10 picks because of supreme talent. At the very least, he could expect to be selected in the second round, where Ryan Mallett is likely to land, despite a plethora of character concerns that include drug possession.
The coming months will be another chance for Floyd to test his virtue of choice and hope that patience pays off again.
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