2012 NFL Draft Projections: Troubled Prospects Who Will Find the Perfect Home

With the NFL Draft just a matter of days away, the excitement is certainly starting to grow.

Hundreds of players are about to find new homes, hundreds of lives are about to be changed forever and 32 football teams are about to fill their roster with loads of new and exciting talent.

As I said, the excitement really is starting to grow.

And while it's really easy to focus on the players like Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III who attract all the media attention for their likely one and two pick status, the draft provides a broad spectrum of opportunities for different players.

For some players, the NFL Draft is the chance to turn their life around. Literally, turn it around.

Various on-field and off-field troubles can be put behind them as they find their home and start fresh. Their footballing careers can start off on the right note and as a result, turn their life from troubled prospect into NFL star.

Here's five draft prospects who have had their fair share of troubles, but will find their perfect home in the draft and flourish as a result of it.

1. Orson Charles (Georgia)

Expected by many to go as a first-round selection, Charles's stock has fallen rapidly in the weeks leading up to the 2012 NFL Draft.

Not only did the tight end skip running at the NFL Combine and run an unconvincing 4.70 at the Georgia pro day the following month, but he also was arrested just days later for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Oh, and he switched his agent two weeks before the draft.

“I would love to go in the first, I would love to go in the second, but I would love to have the opportunity,” said Charles via the Athens Banner-Herald. "You never know what will happen."

Likened to New England Patriots star tight end Aaron Hernandez, the 6'2", 251-pound tight end will find a home in the NFL—perhaps mid-to-late in the second round to either the Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens or the New York Giants.

Under a disciplined unit such as the Ravens, Charles would be sure to flourish—as he would also do under the offenses run by either of the experienced Manning brothers.

2. Mike Adams (Ohio State)

A potential first-round pick for many, Mike Adams will never be able to shake the fact that he tested positive for marijuana at the NFL Combine back in February. And while it won't give him any sort of extra edge—that is, the helpful type when playing football—it's what it highlights that's the real problem.

To fail a drug test that you know was coming for months shows what Gary Davenport calls "either incredible stupidity of a sense of entitlement; neither are qualities teams want in their quarterback's blindside protector."

And he's right. I mean, fortunately for Adams, the value of tackles in the NFL will make sure that he doesn't fall too far down the boards, but he will certainly slip down the ranks further than he would have liked.

For that, whatever team picks him up will be the perfect home. It might sound strange, but Adams will simply be out to prove that he truly is an excellent player and can compete at the highest level.

Teams like the Green Bay Packers who just draft the best player in front of them at the time could very well find value in Adams—especially given his size and ability.

Finally being able to play football in the NFL will do wonders for the Ohio State offensive tackle.

3. Vontaze Burfict (Arizona State)

When it comes to troubled, one of the first names that comes to mind has to be that of Burfict, whose fall from grace over the past few months has simply been spectacular. Not the good kind, either.

When you blame everyone from the media to the receivers about your poor season, it's not good. When you blame the coaches for your bad season, it's really not good.

That would be the situation Vontaze Burfict now finds himself in after scathing the Arizona State program and anyone who had anything to do with it.

He has fallen from being ranked the most explosive linebacker in the draft to not even being drafted in the first two days in many people's minds—his troubles seemingly have cost him so much.

But with a disciplined program, a tough coach and one of the smartest and toughest linebackers in the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens could very well be a great match for Burfict. Imagine this troubled star being nurtured, disciplined and taught by Ray Lewis.

That truly would be the perfect home.

4. Dre Kirkpatrick (Alabama)

Dre Kirkpatrick is one of the few players whose troubled past doesn't seem to be costing him too much in terms of NFL draft stock—though it is certainly something that will no doubt be in the back of the minds of several teams come draft day.

Tipped by nearly all to go in the first round, Kirkpatrick's baggage involves an arrest in January for possession of marijuana, although the charges were eventually dropped. Similarly to Mike Adams, the issue with the incident is about the perception—what was he doing in that situation so close to the NFL Combine?

With both Morris Claiborne and Stephon Gilmore likely to go ahead of him in the draft, the cornerback could fall to a side like the Cincinnati Bengals or the Detroit Lions. In Cincinnati, Kirkpatrick could flourish from being part of a strong defense and a side that's continuing to improve with every season that goes by.

In Detroit, he would benefit from coming up against the likes of Greg Jennings and Brandon Marshall twice a year, as well as the throwing skills of Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler. Maybe Detroit is a little too low in the draft to get Kirkpatrick, but either way, he could shine in 2012.

5. Janoris Jenkins (North Alabama)

No player in the entire NFL Draft has as much speculation and criticism as Janoris Jenkins, whose drug problems have been documented almost as well as Kim Kardashian's failed marriage.

He could be Eli Manning, or he could be Ryan Leaf.

His drug problems at Florida have been compounded by recent reports that he may not have kicked his old habit after all. Albert Breer of the NFL Network reports that Jenkins's problems reach far further than those days.

Nobody disputes Jenkins' ability; they dispute his decision making which has resulted in three arrests, positive drug tests and four children with three different women.

It will be a tough choice for general managers as to whether they want to take a risk on the cornerback who on talent alone, should go in the first round of the NFL Draft and could very well turn out to be a Pro Bowl defensive player.

I think Jenkins still stays a first-round option—falling to the San Francisco 49ers with the 30th pick of the draft. His skills and talent are simply too much to ignore, and the culture of discipline under Harbaugh will greatly benefit the troubled star.

If they can take a risk on Randy Moss, they can definitely take a risk on Jenkins, who will find his perfect home at Candlestick Park.

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