Da’Rick Rogers, a talented wide receiver who had a 1,000-yard season at Tennessee as a sophomore but was kicked off the team for positive drug tests, is entering the 2013 NFL draft.
Rogers finished his college career at Tennessee Tech after Tennessee booted him, and he caught 61 passes for 893 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2012, playing against a lower level of competition. His most impressive college season came in 2011, when he led Tennessee in catches (67), receiving yards (1,040) and receiving touchdowns (nine) while often being covered by NFL-caliber cornerbacks in the SEC.
During that season, Rogers was a true sophomore just two years removed from high school, and as a highly regarded recruit out of high school he’s long been viewed as a player who would bolt for the NFL as soon as he finished his third year of college and became draft eligible. There wasn’t much question that Rogers would be gone after only a few months on campus at Tennessee Tech.
Now the question is whether NFL teams will view the 6-foot-2, 215-pound playmaker as a first-round talent, or whether Rogers’ draft stock will plunge because teams are more concerned about what he does off the field than what he does on the field.