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Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd has been a popular pick for the Cincinnati Bengals, especially lately. Yesterday, Joe Reedy had Floyd, widely regarded as the second-best receiver in this year's draft class, going to the Bengals at No. 17. The selection makes sense, consider Cincinnati is in need of a No. 2 receiver opposite of A.J. Green. However one reason Floyd may still be available at No. 17 (or maybe even No. 21), however, is due to character concerns among NFL front offices.
NFL Network's Mike Lombardi does not include Floyd in his top-20 prospects due to poor interviews and off the field issues.
"I've heard so many conflicting reports on his off-the-field activities," Lombardi said. "I've heard from reliable people in the league that he wasn't that impressive in his interviews."
Michael Floyd was a bonafide star on the field at Notre Dame, posting 100 receptions, 1,147 yards receiving and nine touchdowns last year.
However off-the-field issues were a legitimate concern. During the offseason leading up to his final season with Notre Dame, Floyd was arrested for drunk driving and subsequently suspended from the team for four months. While he didn't miss any games, he significantly risked his reputation, and should teams be weary of Floyd's character following the incident, he may again feel those consequences on draft day.
Floyd wouldn't have likely been considered a possibility at No. 17 or No. 21 if these character issues did not exist, so this most recent news regarding his poor interviews should not affect his place on Cincinnati's Big Board. But then again, the Bengals have taken chances on players with far deeper criminal histories than one DUI (see: PacMan Jones; Cedric Benson). If Mike Brown, Marvin Lewis, and the rest of the Bengals' front office were high on Floyd before this report, then they probably remain so.