Had Geno Smith been snatched up by, say, the San Diego Chargers to sit and learn behind Philip Rivers, you probably wouldn't be reading this.
Instead, Smith was drafted by the New York Jets, and the former West Virginia quarterback -- thrown into Gotham's media grinder -- now finds himself under a mountain of post-draft criticism.
ESPNNewYork.com's Rich Cimini cited a league source to report Friday that at least one quarterback-needy team in the top 10 of the 2013 NFL Draft passed on Smith because of what they perceived as a "diva attitude" during his pre-draft visit.
Yahoo! Sports reported this week that Smith turned off some by wasting time on his cell phone, texting friends and staying tethered to Twitter during meet-and-greets with a host of teams.
When Smith slid right out of the first round last Thursday night, he made waves by threatening to fly home. More trouble came when he fired his agents after the draft.
"He's going to have a tough time in New York," one anonymous NFC scout told Cimini. "Right now, he's coming off as a spoiled, pampered brat."
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Smith has been squeaky clean off the field, but who could guess from the snowstorm of criticism he's facing? After all, it takes little courage for anonymous scouts to pile on a player who hasn't taken a professional snap.
It takes plenty of courage to endure it.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
