3.16 Indianapolis Hoosier Daddy's - RB Michael Dyer

In the real world: Dyer rushed for over 1,000 yards as a true freshman with Auburn in 2010, topping it off with his performance in the BCS National Championship against Oregon. He was on his way to another great season when coach Gene Chizik suspended him indefinitely before the 2011 Chick-fil-A Bowl for violating unspecified team rules (according to this Grantland.com article, it was for failing a drug test). Dyer was released from his Auburn scholarship on January 6, 2012. Not long afterwards, Guz Malzahn, Auburn's offensive coordinator, left to be become Arkansas State's new head coach, and he got Dyer to transfer there. Less than seven months later, however, the Red Wolves released him after a run-in with police. (The very same Grantland.com article has more details about this.) He resurfaced in 2013 with Louisville, and had a terrific game last season against Florida State (28 carries, 134 yards, 3 TDs), showing that he still had the talent, but then he was ruled academically ineligible for the Belk Bowl. He did not sign with an NFL team until May 11, when the Oakland Raiders signed him after a tryout at their rookie minicamp. This is a great meeting of talent and job situation (the Raiders have Latavius Murray, draft bust Trent Richardson, pass-catching fullback Marcel Reece, and not much else). Dyer, who will be 25 in October, needs to make good life decisions--the question is, did he learn from his mistakes, or does he just not have the intelligence and/or maturity to do so?

In the TUFF world: This was the second time Indy bought a late 3rd-rounder (they bought this one from Cleveland--another division rival). As I mentioned at the start of this Wrapup, Indy needed to overhaul its running back corps, and given the talent Dyer showed in the past, plus his job situation in Oakland, he is a great pick here. I'll admit, I would have snapped him up at 4.04 if he had fallen that far, even in spite of a history of poor decision-making that has already cost him millions of NFL dollars.