2012 NFL Draft: 6 Prospects with Biggest Character Concerns

With the 2012 NFL Draft only months away, and the college football season nearing its end, prospects are beginning to go through intense scouting by every NFL team.

One thing that teams look for, and most shy away from, is players that have major character concerns. These concerns could be originated from problems with drugs or alcohol, previous arrests or lack of effort on the field.

Here are six prospects for the 2012 NFL Draft that have the biggest character concerns.

Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

No prospect this year has more character concerns than Quinton Coples from the North Carolina Tar Heels.

His issues start with an NCAA investigation into a post-draft party. They continued with reports that Coples didn't try very hard his senior season.

Few prospects have dropped as far as Coples has this year, and it is all due to concerns with his character.

Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

As far as wide receivers go in the 2012 draft, few are as talented as Michael Floyd.

Unfortunately, few have gotten in as much trouble as Floyd has during his career at Notre Dame. Floyd has been arrested several times, most of those times for alcohol-related offenses.

All that drinking appeared to make Floyd a step slower, and has many teams concerned that his character issues will be a major hindrance to his NFL performance.

Devon Still, DT, Penn State

It's possible that Devon Still answered many questions about his character in Penn State's bowl game this year. However, one game often isn't enough to change a team's mind about a player.

The defensive tackle from Penn State has issues with giving 100 percent on the field. He appears to take plays off, give up on plays and generally looks like he doesn't care to much about the final outcome of the game.

If Still can turn his character issues around, he could become one of the better defensive players in the league. Until that happens, he will likely have trouble staying on the field in the NFL.

Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

In the world of "diva" receivers, many NFL teams will shy away from them because of what they do to a locker room.

Just look at Dez Bryant and how far he fell on draft day because of being labeled a "diva". Well, for this year's top receiver prospect Justin Blackmon, he may see a similar fall because of some issues both on and off the field.

He was suspended one game in 2010 for a DUI, and is one of the cockier players in college football. Will these character concerns drop Blackmon down draft boards?

It's unlikely, but we'll have to wait and see if any other issues come up between now and April.

Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State

Kelechi Osemele from Iowa State is another highly-ranked prospect who doesn't appear to give everything he has on the field.

He's one of the highest rated offensive line prospects in this year's draft, but many people are worried about how much he'll actually bring to the table in the NFL. Like so many of the other prospects previously spoken about, his motor and passion for the game don't appear to fully be there

Should Osemele give 110 percent on the field, he could become one of the better offensive linemen in the league pretty quickly. If not, he will have a tough time finding work.

Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State

When looking at Mike Adams, you can't help but see an extremely gifted player with the right skills and body to excel in the NFL at his position, offensive tackle.

However, Adams has been knocked for his inclusion in the Ohio State scandal that rocked college football during the 2011 offseason. Adams was suspended five games for selling memorabilia.

It's likely that this one major issue will cause Adams to wait much longer to hear his name than a similarly talented player with no character issues would have to wait.