Player Conduct An Important Factor For NFL Teams On Draft Day

McFadden's Image Problem May Drop Him Down In First Round Of NFL Draft

Del Rio Says Jaguars Diligent In Researching Character Issues

CHARACTER COUNTS: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell instituted a personal conduct policy after taking office in '06, and former Titans GM Floyd Reese said the issue is "still very much on everyone's mind." Reese: "The thing that stood out about [Goodell's] policy was that teams could be reprimanded and disciplined for having a significant number of players with those issues." Ravens Dir of College Scouting Eric DeCosta said Goodell has "put a huge premium on character." DeCosta: "You're going to see, even more so than ever before, teams really playing hardball with some of these guys that have made mistakes in the past." Reese added conduct has "always been an issue, but now the money has made it a bigger issue. You see high-profile players get involved with things and making such poor decisions, and they're multimillion-dollar decisions. It's something you pay attention to" (WASHINGTON POST, 4/19). Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome said Goodell "has certainly put a premium on character, and I think that's a good thing for the league." Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland said of draft prospects, "We check everything. We've got guys checking academics, guys calling the local sheriff. We've got security people and (we) talk to trainers and strength coaches." Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said his team has "been very conservative and will continue to be that way. We've had a couple (players with issues) but that doesn't mean we're not going to continue to be diligent." Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff:, "We understand not everyone is going to have a clean slate. But we will be very particular about the type of player we're going to bring in" (DAILY OKLAHOMAN, 4/25).

AUDIBLE? CBSSPORTS.com's Charley Casserly, a former NFL GM, wrote since Goodell instituted his policy, teams "have not eliminated any more players from their draft boards than before." However, the teams might have "dropped them a round or two ... and put the player on notice when they become part of the team that there will be very little patience with any transgressions." Casserly added front-office personnel consider character "after we determine the player has enough talent to be considered in the first place." Casserly: "You have to just make judgments that really are just a guess as to whether you think a player will get in trouble again. My experience has been that past patterns do predict future behavior" (CBSSPORTS.com, 4/21).

FIX THE LEAK: In a USA TODAY front-page cover story, Jarrett Bell notes Goodell has sent multiple memos to NFL teams warning that he "will harshly punish" anyone leaking information about NFL draft prospects. Prior to last year's draft, a report revealed three prospects admitted using marijuana, which "incensed" Goodell. He said, "The intent of getting this information is for help in making an evaluation. It is not to release it as public information, either to embarrass the player or put the player in a negative position." Goodell added that he is "determined to develop a culture in the NFL that better protects such information that can be damaging to a player's or the league's reputation" (USA TODAY, 4/25).

LAW & ORDER: The number of NFL players arrested in the past 12 months is down almost 20% from the previous year, and NFL Senior VP/PR Greg Aiello said, "I think everyone's been encouraged by the direction it's taken, but no one can let their guard down and get complacent about it" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 4/19).

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