mikeak":3vlxt8fy said:
However - I don't think I have read anything about him being a locker room cancer. Maybe I missed it but I think there is a difference between not running drills and what supposedly has been going on with Easley (I am thinking more Percy Harvin there) and on top of that add injuries.
The term locker room cancer might as well be a term exclusive to the NFL. A college locker room is a party environment full of guys barely out of high school who are just having fun. An NFL locker room is a high stress environment full of grown men who are often jealous of each other over money and/or are trying to survive in the league. That's why you didn't hear stories about future NFL cancers like Harvin or Easley being locker room cancers in college, because the politics that are so strong in NFL locker rooms don't exist at all in college locker rooms.
If a college player has an entitled, irresponsible and remorseless attitude in college, he'll probably end up being a diva in the NFL. Nkemdiche has got diva written all over him. He's going to have to be really good really quick in the league, because his temperament is going to get him shipped out unless teams feel he's just too good to let go of.
If I thought he was amazing, like Aaron Donald as a prospect amazing, I'd be fine with rolling the dice on a guy like him. But I don't think he's impressive to begin with, and his only real hope of NFL success is to work very hard and respond very well to coaching... two things that are impossible with a lousy attitude.
Regarding Easley, I've never been a fan of his and I don't want the guy for the Hawks. But I see a lot more logic in signing him to a 1 year deal almost for free than spending a high pick on Nkemdiche. If Nkemdiche busts, it's a bad look and it cost you a high pick. If Easley doesn't work out, it costs you nothing. If Easley is a problem, you can cut him painlessly at any time. If Nkemdihe is a problem, it would be a lot harder to cut him as he would be a high draft pick.