After running into off-field issues throughout college, wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham is ready to put his past behind him and compete at a high level in the NFL.
Ready to put the mistakes of his past behind him, University of Missouri wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham is forgoing his senior season to pursue his NFL dreams.
After spending two seasons with the Tigers, Green-Beckham was dismissed from the team in April of 2014 for off-field reasons. He then headed to the University of Oklahoma, where the NCAA would not allow him to play for the Sooners, only participate in practice.
As he reflected on his college career at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in February, Green-Beckham admitted there were moments he would like to have back, but that it's something from which he's learned.
"All the decisions I've made, I wish I could take it back," he said. "All the things that I've been through, that's just one thing I look forward to. I just want to just think about all the stuff that's happened in the past and not look back to it, and just focus on one thing and be a better person."
Prior to his dismissal, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound receiver was quickly rising through the collegiate ranks. As a true freshman in 2012, Green-Beckham caught 28 receptions for 395 yards and five touchdowns, earning freshman All-American honors by College Football News.
With an increased role as a sophomore, he more than doubled his receptions (59), receiving yards (883) and touchdowns (12). Green-Beckham led the SEC in touchdowns in 2013 and finished in the top 10 in the conference in both receptions (7th) and receiving yards (9th), as well.
After sitting out the 2014 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Green-Beckham felt that it was best for him to leave his personal troubles behind and forfeit his final year of eligibility with the Sooners.
"One more year could have prepared me, could have boosted my draft stock a lot higher," he said. "I just felt like personal-wise this was the best opportunity so I just wanted to take that with me and be able to learn from my mistakes and mature and be the best."
With much of the focus being on his off-field issues rather than his abilities on the field, the scrutiny Green-Beckham been under, he said, has only made the draft process more difficult.
"It's very tough for me," he said. "It's tough for me to stand up here and be able to speak in front of all you guys because I haven't spoken in the past year. It's very tough for me to just take that chance I had last year to sit out and not speak and be able to focus on the things that I needed to focus on off the field."
At the NFL Combine, he left little doubt as to why he's still one of the top-rated receivers in this year's draft. Green-Beckham posted a 4.49 40-yard dash time, jumped a 33.5-inch vertical jump and ran the 20-yard shuttle in 4.45 seconds.
When it came time to run position drills, NFL.com's Bucky Brooks listed the former five-star high school recruit as one of the receivers that generated plenty of buzz with his performance.
"The former Mizzou standout did not disappoint," Brooks wrote. "In positional drills, Green-Beckham flashed strong hands and outstanding ball skills. He is a natural pass catcher capable of tracking and adjusting to balls thrown slightly off the mark.
"Green-Beckham's strong showing will prompt evaluators to dig deeper into his questionable character profile to see if the risk is worth the potential reward."
Green-Beckham said he set out a goal of showing the NFL that he's ready to work hard, and that his former self is far behind him.
"I know what's at stake," he said. "I know what type of person I am. I understand what the NFL is looking for (from) me as a person. I just want them to know I'm going to go out there and give it my all and showing everybody what I'm capable of doing and focusing on being the best player I can be."
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