What will a DUI arrest do to Dak Prescott's stock in the NFL draft?
The former Mississippi State quarterback was arrested on a DUI charge Saturday morning in Starkville, Miss., less than 48 hours after he performed in front of representatives from 30 NFL clubs at MSU's pro day. How NFL clubs assess the incident will likely be tied to how they perceived him to begin with, according to NFL Media analyst Lance Zierlein.
"If there is nothing else (negative in his background), I think every team is going to go off their own personal interviews with him and what their scouts have gathered on his character," Zierlein said. "That should reign supreme over one incident. But it certainly doesn't help."
At the very least, the homework clubs will do on the most prolific passer in MSU history will be extended. And with the draft just six weeks away, it will have to be done in short order.
"This will cause scouts to go back and do more background work on him. It's terrible timing," said NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah.
Whereas one NFL club that already believes in Prescott as a prospect -- both in terms of talent and character -- might determine Prescott's DUI is what Zierlein described as an "outlier," others could have a different view.
"For a team that was on the fence about him, this would be an easy way for an owner to knock him off the board. If he's a guy who was just barely alive (as a prospect for a team) and half the building was for him and half was not for taking him, this might be enough to get him scratched," Zierlein said. "That's how he could potentially get hurt. If you like Dak Prescott already, and there's nothing else in his background that's a red flag as it pertains to alcohol, I don't think this is going to hurt him badly. It was very important for him to come out and take responsibility right away."
Prescott, who apologized in a statement he sent to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport on Sunday, figures to get plenty of opportunities to explain the details of the arrest to teams as the draft approaches.
Even before his pro day, he had already scheduled either a private workout or a visit with the Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
