Column: Nkemdiche's red flags too prevalent

Ole Miss defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche has unquestionable talent, which is why he was rated as the top player in his class coming out of high school and is projected to be selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. However, at his NFL Combine interview Friday, Nkemdiche didn't find himself talking about football hardly at all.

Instead, Nkemdiche was bombarded with questions about his December arrest, where he fell out of a window, leading police to investigate and discover marijuana in his hotel room. His work ethic and on-field motor were questioned as well, as reporters were curious as to why it should be expected that the former five-star recruit will begin to work harder once he is getting paid. Friday was the first time the NFL media was able to fire away questions to Nkemdiche, and everyone knew his mistakes would be highly scrutinized.

Nkemdiche didn't do himself any favors at the podium either. Being grilled with questions about his Georgia incident clearly wore on the Georgia native, as he eventually said that the media "tarnished" his name, before further clarifying that it was because of his mistake when asked. Nkemdiche needs to understand that being a professional football player, especially a potential first-round pick with his level of athleticism, puts him under the microscope. It's one thing to make the mistake that he did — he was a 21-year-old kid who got drunk and things got out of hand. However, it's another to call out the members of the media for simply doing their jobs: reporting on the players making news in sports.

Ranked by CBS Sports as the 18th-best player in the draft and the number three defensive tackle, Nkemdiche admitted to being drunk the night of the incident, but claims to have not been under the influence of any drugs. He deflected responsibility regarding possession of the drugs, saying "the hotel was in my name. Nobody wanted to take the fall. It was under my name so it played out like that."

Nkemdiche was asked if any teammates were with him in the hotel that night, which had not been known publicly. He answered that offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, the projected first pick in April's draft, was also in that Grand Hyatt hotel room the night that Nkemdiche was arrested. That one comment will lead Tunsil, who already interviewed at the combine on Wednesday, to face dozens of questions regarding his involvement. Considering that Nkemdiche is insinuating that the marijuana in the hotel room did not belong to him, Tunsil will likely have to answer if it was his, which could lead to one of the former teammates selling out the other. However, this situation was avoidable, as Nkemdiche could have avoided letting media in on what had been a secret, and done a favor for his college teammate.

Selling out Tunsil, whether the projected top pick was involved in any wrongdoing or not, may raise questions about whether or not Nkemdiche is a good teammate. While lying would have been wrong as well, Nkemdiche could have simply avoided comment, which would raise far less suspicion for Tunsil than openly admitting his fellow Rebel was present. NFL locker rooms need to have a certain level of trust among teammates to maintain a positive dynamic, and Nkemdiche may be scaring NFL executives a bit in showing that he cannot keep a secret to benefit a teammate.

This potential lack of trustworthiness certainly isn't the biggest red flag surrounding Nkemdiche, and the arrest might not be either. The athletic defensive lineman noted that he "was lazy on some plays," which shows that he is aware of his desire to play being questioned. Just as was the case with South Carolina's Jadeveon Clowney, the top pick in 2014's draft, Nkemdiche was seen taking plays off in college, which prompts NFL scouts to wonder if receiving a paycheck will further exaggerate the issue. The jury is still out on Clowney, as injuries have riddled his first two seasons with the Houston Texans. While the former Gamecock star's work ethic hasn't been called into question much during his professional career, his failure to emerge as an elite defensive lineman could hurt Nkemdiche's stock a bit, as it is easy to draw parallels between the two.

Between the arrest, selling out Tunsil, and his questionable work ethic, Nkemdiche has provided NFL teams with plenty of reasons for him to slide down draft boards, maybe even into the second round. While his talent is at the level of a top 10 pick, his attitude and actions are costing him millions of dollars based on draft position. Nkemdiche's potential is too good to pass up, and it is likely that some general manager will choose to take a chance on him in the first round, but if I were making the call, the red flags are too prevalent to ignore.