Despite Troubled Past, Dorial Green-Beckham Has Tools to Be Elite NFL Receiver
Every NFL draft seemingly features one or two polarizing prospects with off-field issues to go with immense on-field potential. Last year, the list included former Oregon tight end Colt Lyerla, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and South Carolina cornerback Victor Hampton. In the 2015 class, wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham will serve as another test to see how much NFL teams weigh off-field concerns.
Lyerla and Hampton each went undrafted in 2014 and failed to make an impact in their rookie seasons. Lyerla spent the season on injured reserve, and Hampton bounced between the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants but never played. The Cleveland Browns completely ignored all of the noise around Manziel, and now they’re contemplating on whether they should again address the quarterback position this offseason, as Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole reported.
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As Josh Gordon has demonstrated during the past three years, off-field issues can spill onto the playing field and be a major detriment to the team. Coaches and general managers need talent that can be counted on every week. Drug problems create the ultimate uncertainty, even when dynamic talent is present.
"If Josh Gordon scares you, add in a domestic assault and you have DGB. Big risk for NFL teams.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) January 25, 2015"
That’s why the debate on Green-Beckham is fascinating. The former Missouri Tiger and Oklahoma Sooner was unable to play in 2014 when his transfer waiver was denied. Green-Beckham spent the season practicing with Bob Stoops’ Sooners to help keep himself in shape and engaged in football activities.
To fully evaluate Green-Beckham, his past transgressions and red flags have to be acknowledged. At the same time, so must his incredible talent and ability to grow into an elite playmaker.
Off-Field Troubles
The events that led to Green-Beckham’s dismissal from the University of Missouri are well documented. We won’t be speculating—rather, we'll just work with what has been reported already.
In two separate incidents between 2012 and 2014, Green-Beckham was arrested for marijuana-related suspicions.
His arrest in January 2014 was in connection to police finding a pound of marijuana in a car he was riding in, which prompted a felony drug investigation. Green-Beckham was found innocent, but this was his second arrest in just 15 months.
His 2012 arrest led to charges of misdemeanor possession of marijuana after a police officer said he smelled marijuana on Green-Beckham and his two friends. Charges were later dropped.
With two strikes already on his record, Green-Beckham couldn’t afford another mistake. The former No. 1 overall recruit out of high school was becoming a terror to defend between the goal posts on Saturdays, but he was wearing out his welcome in Columbia, Missouri.
In early April of 2014, Green-Beckham had a burglary investigation opened against him. The police report detailed allegations that Green-Beckham forced an 18-year-old Missouri student to open her apartment door. Things must have escalated, as the woman said she was shoved down at least four stairs by Green-Beckham.
He was never arrested because the witnesses became reluctant due to fear of retaliation and harassment. Green-Beckham’s girlfriend sent 16 text messages to the victim, asking for her to bury the incident because "pressing charges would just ruin it [his football career] for him completely."
Another potential red flag was found in the messages. His girlfriend had detailed a possible domestic abuse occurrence, where Green-Beckham had dragged her from the apartment by her neck. When asked about it by the police, she was uncooperative and claimed she didn’t remember sending that message.
Ultimately, there were no convictions that stemmed from the event that led to Green-Beckham ending up at Oklahoma. Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel said he had “other information” on his dismissal but wouldn’t publicly address the situation. It’s fishy, but we’re just left with the reports of what happened.
Entering the NFL, Green-Beckham will be subject to the NFL’s personal conduct policy. According to Thayer Evans of Sports Illustrated, he’s been in talks with the league to see where he stands. He is subject to entering the league already in the program, but whether he would be in for drugs and/or domestic violence isn’t known.
If he begins in Stage One of the drug program, he will be placed in an intervention program for up to 90 days. Another violation would lead to Stage Two, which progresses from fines to suspensions if mistakes continue to be made.
NFL teams will surely be digging deep into Green-Beckham’s off-field history. The Josh Gordon situation could be coming at a bad time because the league is seeing that another young player is struggling with responsibility and maturity. However, Gordon’s gaffes shouldn’t be used to punish Green-Beckham.
On the Gridiron
Standing 6’6” and 225 pounds and supposedly capable of running a sub-4.4 40-yard dash, Dorial Green-Beckham has been a physical mismatch his entire career. The comparisons have been lofty, primarily including athletic uber-freak Calvin Johnson.
It’s not really fair to compare anyone to Johnson, as it sets up a prospect to fail to live up to the production. Johnson scored in the 71st percentile or better in all of his NFL Combine individual tests, which is truly rare. To assume that Green-Beckham can replicate such incredible athletic testing feats can create an illusion about his receiving talent right now.
In his second and final season at Missouri, Green-Beckham compiled 59 receptions, 883 yards and 12 touchdowns. The output was nearly triple his freshman production and a sign that his role was growing in the offense.
As usual, the statistics can be swayed in a few directions. Looking at his game-by-game production, a huge chunk of his numbers came in three games. Against Indiana, Kentucky and Auburn, Green-Beckham had 21 receptions for 349 yards and seven touchdowns.
He feasted against weaker opponents but struggled against higher competition. Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert limited Green-Beckham to four catches and 53 yards. His combined numbers against Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Tennessee were a measly 12 catches, 129 yards and one touchdown.
These numbers don’t tell the entire story of what happened on the field or his actual talents. They do, however, give reason to go back and watch the film of all these games. After doing just that, Green-Beckham’s game has a lot to love as he prepares to transition to the NFL.
Missouri’s offense is inherently basic to begin with in an effort to get the ball out into the hands of receivers as quickly as possible. Using four receivers, the offense is able to spread the defense and find the quick mismatch as the quarterback surveys the field. It’s an offense that works when the playmakers are good enough to go get the ball and create after the catch.
Considering his size and natural speed, Green-Beckham was a handful for collegiate defensive backs. His long strides and natural power as a runner allowed him to eat up a lot of space with ease. In the seven games I charted, Missouri worked to get him the ball on screens 16 times.
With the ball in his hands, Green-Beckham moves effortlessly as he slices across the field to find more space. His feet are impressively light for a player his size. He’s able to control his body well enough to draw in defenders and then explode past when they lose an advantageous angle.
Green-Beckham’s ability to use his frame as a receiver and protect the ball was often on display on slants and comebacks. The majority of his routes were either deep comebacks or quick slants. Each route was consistently productive for Green-Beckham, but he was especially efficient on comebacks. His ability to sink his hips and change directions quickly is devastating when he properly positions his body. There were some instances where he allowed the cornerback to cross his face and run his route with him, but this should improve in the NFL with more experience.
Being able to win at the catch point is where Green-Beckham stars. This includes comebacks, go routes and fades in the end zone. His level of aggression when the ball is nearing his huge catch radius is most similar to Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys. Even NFL cornerbacks will only be able to do so much to slow him in the red zone.
Knowing when to rise up and play the ball is certainly an art. Play the ball too early, and any leverage gained can be conceded. The defensive back can fix his position to ruin a potential big play. Jump too late, and the ball may fly out of bounds or into the hands of a defender.
Green-Beckham has great body control and the innate ability to rise at the perfect time. Mixed together, those abilities make his rawness in other areas become less important.
Another area in which he is more advanced than his peers is his ability to beat press coverage and separate down field. His powerful hands and long arms help him avoid press attempts because he can swat the defender away and move up the field.
Looking at where Green-Beckham needs to improve, the first thing that stands out is consistency. As mentioned before, he disappeared often in his first two seasons despite being an overwhelming physical talent. Too often, drops got the best of Green-Beckham. His hands aren’t bad, but his ability to stay focused on what is happening then and there will waver.
For example, Green-Beckham may be open for a catch, but he will turn his eyes away from the ball and try to head upfield before completing the reception. This isn’t unusual, as prominent NFL players do the same on a weekly basis. The key is to move on to the next play and not dwell on the mistake.
With just two years of collegiate experience, the fact that Green-Beckham is a raw route runner shouldn’t be too concerning. He wins with athleticism instead of showing nuances of the position. This can be said of almost every elite receiver prospect of the last decade, sans A.J. Green.
In this next route below, we can see a good post route from Green-Beckham. He sets the defensive back up for a go route, then sharply cuts inside and keeps position. At this point, it’s a jump ball, which we have seen is a major advantage for the former Tiger.
This is the type of intensity and sharpness that he must exhibit on every inside-cutting route. He was mostly limited to being an outside-the-numbers threat in Missouri’s offense, but when he had inside routes, he wasn’t as keen on being precise or gaining good position.
What’s Next
It’s hard to predict whether Green-Beckham even gets drafted or not. His off-field risks have to carry significant weight, even if his on-field talent is reminiscent of Bryant and Brandon Marshall. If it were as easy as selecting the most talented player, Green-Beckham is deserving of the top overall pick.
The NFL has seemingly punished players with character flags in recent drafts, but Green-Beckham’s recent issues read like a horror story. His time at Oklahoma, however, has been quiet, which is positive momentum.
Hopefully for Green-Beckham, his brief stint with the Sooners is a sign that his life is heading in the right direction. If he can stay on the field, he could be the steal of the 2015 NFL draft class and become one of the elite receivers in the league.
All stats used are from Sports-Reference.com.
Ian Wharton is a Miami Dolphins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, contributor for Optimum Scouting, and analyst for eDraft.
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