Dorial Green-Beckham was poised for professional stardom as soon as someone got wind of his legendary high school tape.
Green-Beckham was a two-time USA TODAY High School All-American and was considered by many outlets to be the top high school player in the country while starring at Hillcrest High School in Springfield, Miss.
Arguably the most talented wide receiver in the 2015 class, Green-Beckham's turbulent collegiate career scared some personnel away when he was dismissed from Missouri after allegedly pushing a woman down a flight of stairs.
Although he missed an entire year of football, Green-Beckham may be selected during the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Ahead of the draft, Green-Beckham spoke about the pre-draft process.
"It was comfortable," Green-Beckham said to ESPN's Joel Anderson. "Some guys freeze up because we're in the lights and guys are watching. But I just went out there and had fun. I was just being me."
Green-Beckham possesses the ability to be the best player in the class, representing a calculated risk for any club.
"When you strip away everything and look at the core of what happened, he's just a big kid who needs to grow up - and he's doing that," Green-Beckham's agent, Ben Dogra said.
"If someone doesn't take this kid because the information says he has a lot of trouble following him, we can live with that. But we'll see what happens in five years and we'll see who's right. I think somebody is going to get a heck of a player."
Upon his dismissal from Missouri, Oklahoma's Bob Stoops welcomed the 6-foot-5 receiver with open arms.
"I thought Dorial was very respectful and a person who handled himself well through the recruiting process," Stoops said. "There's times when you feel people deserved a second chance to improve their lives and opportunities. I believe in helping young people to grow."
Green-Beckham's tenure at Oklahoma was short-lived, and his decision to turn professional turned out to be an easier process than anticipated.
"There was like a three-second pause ... it was crickets," Green-Beckham said. "But Coach told me he respected my decision and he was going to support me. I was like, this isn't really that bad of a talk."
Now with the draft finally upon Green-Beckham, the talented wide receiver is trying to appease those skeptical of his character.
"I'm a nice guy. It is hard for me to say 'no,'" Green-Beckham said. "I've been learning to control that and to do that. It's going to help me in the long run.
"When people come to me, asking to borrow some money, I'm going to tell them I can't do that. I'm going to tell them that this is something I deserve. I worked for this. I didn't see (them) there with me when I was working hard to get here."
Green-Beckham could be the preeminent player from the 2015 class when the group is evaluated holistically in a few years. Whether he's worth the risk will be determined over time.