Report: Dorial Green-Beckham planned to stay at OU until Norvell was fired
It wasn’t a huge surprise when wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham decided to enter the NFL Draft without playing a down for Oklahoma. But according to a report from Albert Breer of the NFL Network, Green-Beckham planned to stay in Norman for the 2015 season until co-offensive coordinator Jay Norvell lost his job.
Norvell, who also coached the Sooners’ receivers, was fired on Jan. 4 and soon after joined Charlie Strong’s staff at Texas. Two days later, head coach Bob Stoops announced Green-Beckham’s plans to pursue an NFL career. According to Breer, the two “built a strong relationship” and Norvell’s departure changed Green-Beckham’s plans.
Additionally, Breer spoke with “a number of NFL evaluators” that have been looking into Green-Beckham, who was dismissed from Missouri after several off-the-field incidents and then transferred to OU. Though he couldn’t play for the Sooners in 2014 due to the NCAA’s transfer rules, Breer’s sources indicated that Green-Beckham was a model citizen during his time with the program.
According to the information gathered by a number of NFL evaluators, Green-Beckham walked the straight and narrow as, in essence, a very well-known practice-squader last fall. He was there for early-morning workouts, quickly established himself as a star on the practice field and planned to stay for the 2015 season. Those plans changed after the firing of co-offensive coordinator Jay Norvell, with whom Green-Beckham had built a strong relationship, but the gifted prospect was able to leave OU under much better circumstances than he did Mizzou.
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Green-Beckham, the No. 1 recruit in the nation in the 2012 class, caught 87 passes for 1,278 yards and 17 touchdowns in his two seasons at Missouri. He would have certainly provided a huge boost for the Sooners’ receiving corps if he stuck around. Another season free of off-field incidents could have potentially elevated his draft stock as well.
Green-Beckham’s run-ins with the law during his time at Missouri will certainly be a red flag for NFL teams. He was arrested twice for marijuana and then was investigated for a physical altercation in which he allegedly pushed a woman down several stairs. The woman opted not to press charges and Green-Beckham was never arrested in the incident, but it was what was the final straw and led to his dismissal from the Mizzou program.
We see this every year during the lead up to the draft. Players with a rap sheet off the field will be thoroughly vetted by NFL teams and Green-Beckham has an opportunity to ease some of the concerns that surround him during his interviews at this week’s NFL Combine.
Green-Beckham’s physical skills can’t be denied. One scout Breer spoke to called him “one of the best receivers (he’s) ever seen,” so when Oklahoma (and Mizzou) fans see him on the field for an NFL team next season, they’ll be left to wonder what might have been.
For more Oklahoma news, visit SoonerScoop.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
