Former Florida cornerback Janoris Jenkins stepped up to the podium Sunday for the most uncomfortable press conference of the week. He was candid and soft-spoken about his troubled past, handling himself well.
Perhaps that’s because the media’s questions weren’t as tough as what NFL teams ask him.
"[They’ve asked me] what happened with my drug possession,” Jenkins said. “How many times I was arrested. How many possession of marijuana charges I had. How many failed drug tests I’ve had.”
Jenkins was arrested three times: Once for a bar fight and two for marijuana possession. He failed one drug test at Florida. He says he won’t ever smoke again because he has his mother and four children to think about: Janoris Jenkins Jr, Legend, Janorian and Paris. Jenkins says he’s sure all his off-the-field problems will hurt his draft stock, but he’s trying to move forward.
“I’m done with marijuana forever. I can’t do it, man,” Jenkins said.
After Jenkins was kicked out of Florida, he played at North Alabama. He mostly played on Thursdays in front of 3,500 people instead of 95,000 in “the Swamp.”
“My Saturdays I watched Florida. I watched my old teammates play. And it struck me then. Man, I’m supposed to be on the field those guys,” Jenkins said.
He didn’t see a lot of action at North Alabama. He estimated that teams only threw at him four times-per-game, so he tried to make a bigger impact on special teams units.
Jenkins will be a risky pick for some team out there, but his talent level should push him into the first round. For what it’s worth, he seemed genuinely humbled by all the mistakes he’s made and grateful to have this second chance.
“I’ve made a few mistakes and I’ve learned from them. Everything I did, I did.”