Weeks of speculation turned out to be pointless. Bradley Roby’s April 20th incident in downtown Columbus did not cost the former Buckeye his first-round draft status.
The shutdown cornerback went 31st overall to Denver.
“I did not have any indication [Denver would pick me],” Roby said. “I did not come on a visit. But I think it will be a great place for me.
“I am not a bad guy. In both situations, I never committed a crime. I’m not a bad guy. You won’t have to worry about me off the field. These two incidents taught me about being aware when you are in public.”
Roby was an All-Big Ten selection in 2013 after recording 69 tackles, three interceptions, 13 pass breakups and two blocked kicks. The numbers were impressive but nowhere near his 2012 stats that garnered All-American honors.
| Year | Pick | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 31 | Bradley Roby | Denver Broncos |
| 2009 | 14 | Malcolm Jenkins | New Orleans Saints |
| 2006 | 8 | Donte Whitner | Buffalo Bills |
| 2004 | 28 | Chris Gamble | Carolina Panthers |
| 2001 | 21 | Nate Clements | Buffalo Bills |
| 2000 | 24 | Ahmed Plummer | San Francisco 49ers |
| 1999 | 23 | Antoine Winfield | Buffalo Bills |
| 1997 | 3 | Shawn Springs | Seattle Seahawks |
| 1991 | 19 | Vincent Clark | Green Bay Packers |
| 1976 | 21 | Tim Fox | New England Patriots |
| 1975 | 24 | Neal Colzie | Oakland Raiders |
| 1971 | 19 | Jack Tatum | Oakland Raiders |
| 1971 | 23 | William Anderson | San Francisco 49ers |
He led the nation in pass breakups per game (1.4) in 2012 and ranked third on the team with 63 tackles. Roby was projected as a high first-round draft pick, but opted to return to Ohio State for another year of seasoning.
However, he’s had two off-field issues since last July – a battery charge that was dropped, but still resulted in a one-game suspension, and an OVI that was reduced in a plea deal. That was on top of an erratic junior season.
A standout performance at the NFL Scouting Combine and Ohio State’s Pro Day helped Roby’s cause. Still, he was one of many top-end corners in the draft.
“Roby is a great talent, I mean phenomenal talent,” ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said I April. “A couple years ago I thought he might be a top-15 pick. He may be a solid first-rounder, which I think he is. I just think you saw inconsistency in terms of tackling. Good run support, but tackling in the open field was inconsistent. Coverage was inconsistent. If he puts it all together, he could be a heck of a player. But right now, I think he’s a little overrated.”
The cornerback class is deep with five being selected in the first round. In addition to Roby, Oklahoma State's Justin Gilbert went eighth to Cleveland, Virginia Tech's Kyle Fuller went 14th to Chicago, Michigan State's Darqueze Dennard was picked 24th by Cincinnati and Jason Verrett of TCU was selected 25th by San Diego.
