No one currently expects Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley to be selected in round one, given a rape allegation that likely won’t be resolved in his favor by Thursday night. Currently, the thinking is that someone will take a flier on him before the conclusion of Friday night’s proceedings.
Per a league source, the current buzz has Conley going at some point before the end of the third round.
The risk is obvious; Conley could be charged, prosecuted, and ultimately convicted of a first-degree felony. But he also could be exonerated, either by the alleged victim not pursuing the case or prosecutors deciding based on the witness testimony from the hotel room where the rape allegedly occurred that Conley would be able to establish sufficient reasonable doubt to make a trial a losing proposition.
At some point as the seven rounds unfold, the potential reward will outweigh the risk. The current thinking is that this will happen at some point before the end of round three.
If he’s guilty, he shouldn’t be drafted at all. If he’s innocent, his draft stock shouldn’t be affected at all. His current draft stock reflects the reality that few know exactly what happened in that Cleveland hotel room and, for now, no one knows what will happen moving forward.