Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley’s draft stock has allegedly dropped since the end of the college season, when he was considered in most circles to be the Panthers’ likely choice at No. 1 overall.
The “one-year wonder” label is understandable. Fairley spent two seasons at Auburn, and was productive in only one of them. Fairley’s on-field effort has also been questioned. What we never quite fully grasped were character concerns, mostly because there was nothing specific to make them believable.
Now, there is.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on SportsCenter Wednesday morning that Fairley has exhibited irresponsible decision making throughout the pre-draft process. Fairley missed his flight to Indianapolis for February’s Scouting Combine, skipped a meeting with a team there, and was also late to a team meeting at Auburn’s Pro Day.
We suppose it’s for all the above reasons that NFL teams are “privately comparing” Fairley to Albert Haynesworth.