When news came out that Alabama CB, fresh off a BCS National Championship, had been arrested for marijuana possession, the rumor mill began churning to discuss his draft stock. Would he drop far? Would some team's take him completely off their draft board?
At the time, Kirkpatrick was regarded as the second best cornerback prospect in the draft, behind LSU's Morris Claiborne. The arrest put all of that, and potentially millions in jeorpardy.
Then, reports started to surface about the specifics of the arrest. Kirkpatrick was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by police, and the driver admitted that the marijuana was his. Now, according to several reports including this one from Sports Illustrated, Florida police have dropped all charges against Kirkpatrick.
I'm not pointing any fingers, but in all my years I haven't heard of a passenger being arrested for possession when a vehicle's driver admitted it was his. Could Kirkpatrick have been the victim of an officer with a Gator point of view?
Regardless, Dre Kirkpatrick will not have a mark on his permanent record. Now the question is, will his "associations" remain a cause of concern for NFL teams, namely the Cowboys. The CB was mocked numerous times to Dallas once word of the arrest leaked, but now he might be considered a top 10 pick again; out of Dallas' range without a trade.
Recent mocks have trended a more troubled cornerback, North Alabama's Janoris Jenkins to Dallas at the 14 pick. He was dismissed from the University of Florida and has three arrests on his record; two for drugs.
How far does Jason Garrett's RKG philosophy go? We'll see come April.