Janoris Jenkins' 2012 NFL Combine Performance Makes Him Worth First-Round Pick

Janoris Jenkins went from a potential top-10 pick with the Florida Gators to being kicked off the team and found himself playing for North Alabama in the blink of an eye.

Now, he’s trying to get past comments like the one made by an unnamed AFC defensive coordinator at the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine:

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"It’s a lot [of issues], that’s all I can say, I can tell you I’ll be studying him as a player. Where it goes from there, who knows? But it’s a really good question."

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Jenkins decided to come back for his senior season at the University of Florida as one of the premier prospects in the country before a marijuana bust got him kicked off the team and sent into the abyss.

At the combine, he was back among his talented peers and has reestablished his status as one of the top cornerbacks in the entire draft.  

Jenkins placed sixth among corners with a 4.46-second 40-yard dash, which was faster than Morris Claiborne, Dre Kirkpatrick and Alfonzo Dennard and other potential first-round picks.

ESPN’s Steve Muench reports that Jenkins and Claiborne stood out as the cream of the crop for cornerbacks in workouts in front of the scouts. NFL Network commentator and unofficial draft czar Mike Mayock says Jenkins has first-round talent.

He has rare anticipatory skills and gets a great break on any ball thrown his way. He stays low to the ground and has incredibly fluid hips that allow him to change direction with ease.

There is no doubt Jenkins is an NFL talent that has the potential to be a starter in the league for the next decade. Yet, the off the field issues still cast a foggy cloud.

He had a lot to prove in the interview process. When you are 23 years old and have four kids by three different women and three arrests, there are certainly plenty of questions to ask.

But, by all accounts, he owned up to his mistakes and is just grateful he still has the opportunity to make the league. Having to leave the University of Florida for the University of North Alabama got the message across.

However, Jenkins wouldn't be welcomed by every team; some organizations will likely eliminate him from their draft boards because of his past.

That’s a mistake.

He is a rare talent that has learned his lesson. His future is bright, and Jenkins has the ability to play effectively from Day 1.

The combine was the reminder teams needed that Jenkins is worthy of a first-round pick.