Winston
Justice, starting right tackle for the USC Trojans last
year, showed himself to be one of the best tackle
prospects in college football. Judging by his on-field
performance, he would almost certainly be projected as a
late first round, early second round draft pick, however
Justice will never see the first round of the draft
because there are legal problems on the horizon which
cloud his future.
The
first Trojan lineman to start as a true freshman since
1996, Justice has played exceptionally enough that it
should be seen as no coincidence that he was placed on the
right side with the left-handed Matt Leinart dropping back
to pass. He is an explosive blocker who uses tremendous
leg drive to push defenders off the line. His balance,
though not in the elite left tackle class, is good enough
to allow him to move over to the left side if necessary.
If moved to the left side, Justice would use his quick
feet to slide well and his picture perfect form to do a
very good job in pass protection. At 6’6” and 305 lbs.,
he will most likely carry another ten to twenty pounds in
the NFL, depending on which side he is slated to play, and
can be expected to be a productive lineman for whomever
selects him.
When it
comes time for a team to make their selection in the NFL
Draft, on-field performance is, of course, essential
however, it is often overshadowed by what NFL front
offices have come to call ‘off-field issues’. ‘Off-field
issues’ is a politically correct term attached to any
player facing emotional or legal issues outside of
football and can often push a player down the draft
board. In the case of Winston Justice, he has been
arrested twice inside of eight months and is currently
suspended and unable to return to the Trojans until
January of 2005. The first arrest was for soliciting
prostitution, when he was busted by an undercover sting
operation. He pled no contest and was fined, but wasn’t
suspended for that offense. The more recent charge, which
occurred in March of this year, was a bit more serious and
is more likely to be what affects his draft position.
Justice is accused of assault with a firearm. The
explanation he has given is that the firearm was a replica
and that he was waving it around and pointing at someone
he thought was a friend but turned out to be a stranger.
The person was obviously flustered enough by the
engagement to call the police. The behavior was juvenile
and will cost him millions of dollars in the draft, but it
could also cost him jail time. If he is found guilty
during his trial, which has been scheduled for June 14th,
each count can carry up to 30 days. After all is said and
done, Justice will have to choose the path he wants to
take to return to football.
Justice
has several options: he can opt to enter this year’s
supplemental draft, he can re-join the Trojans in January,
or he can make himself available for the 2005 draft.
Since his legal status is unlikely to have been resolved
by the time this year’s supplemental draft rolls around he
would most likely end up being a free agent or a very,
very late draft pick and that is probably not a path he
will choose to travel. If he were to rejoin the Trojans
it would be a smoother transition for him but since he
wouldn’t be playing until the fall of 2005, I doubt he
will show that sort of patience. The other problem with
returning to the Trojans is that he runs the risk of
another player being entrenched in the starting lineup
while he sits out his suspension and relegating him to the
bench, thus leaving him to enter the draft after basically
being out of football for two years. The most likely
scenario is that he will make himself available for the
2005 draft. He will have all of his legal woes behind him
at it will allow him a year of ‘good behavior’ to show
that he can make it through life without getting arrested
every six months. Whenever Winston Justice chooses to
make himself available for the NFL Draft, his ‘off-field
issues’ will push him down the draft board from where he
would have been had they not occurred.
He is
certainly not the first player to be pushed down the draft
board by ‘off-field issues’. Cedric Cobbs has size, speed
and an array of moves sure to dazzle. Even with a history
of shoulder and chronic hamstring problems, his talent and
accomplishments on the football field might have motivated
a team to select him as early as the 2nd round
of the draft had there been no ‘off-field issues’
whatsoever pushing him down the board. The officer who
arrested Cobbs for possession said the smoke was
“billowing out the window” of the car when he pulled it
over, a graphic description that paints a picture in the
minds of NFL front offices which is hard to erase.
Eventually drafted in the late 4th round by the New
England Patriots, Cobbs' talent would have warranted a
much earlier selection if not for his ‘off-field issues’.
No
matter the level of talent the player may possess, a team
will be careful not to invest too much in someone who may
become a public humiliation to them if there is a repeat
offense while under contract for millions of dollars.
Fans will rightfully say, you knew, yet you chose to
ignore the history and waste the money on the player
anyway. Justice has dug quite a hole for himself with his
actions, and it is going to cost him millions of dollars.
If he hadn’t, who knows how high he might have soared up
the draft board, but if we use Cedric Cobbs as a recent
precedent among many from which to choose, Justice should
resign himself to his mid-round fate.
