Former Florida defensive back Janoris Jenkins was one of the most physically gifted football players in the entire 2012 NFL Draft class, but a long history of off the field problems kept the star cornerback from becoming the Top 10 pick many believed he would be. He was dismissed from Florida and wound up at North Alabama, and this evening he was made a second round pick by the St Louis Rams.

His talent and history have earned him a comparison to former Tennessee Titans and West Virginia DB Adam “Pacman” Jones. The comparison seemed warranted considering the skillset and circumstances, but apparently Jenkins took exception to that.

In an interview on Sirius XM Radio in which Jenkins had already claimed that teams that passed on him were “gonna pay”, Jenkins dismissed the notion of being comparable to Pacman with this quote:

“I mean, no, because I never shot up a strip club or nothing like that.”

Of course, Jenkins was referencing a 2007 incident in Las Vegas where an alleged member of Pacman’s entourage was involved in a shooting. Pacman denied having known the gunman. Considering the circumstances of the incident, Jenkins’ statement was suspect and ill-informed.

Jeff Fisher has taken risks on players with character concerns in the past (see Adam “Pacman” Jones and Albert Haynesworth), but it’s safe to assume that he is probably already questioning his latest and possibly most risky pick.

Jenkins is extremely talented, but he’ll need some serious media relations work if he hopes to survive the day to day operations of the National Football League. And, obviously, he’ll also have to stay out of trouble.

During his time in Gainesville, Jenkins was arrested for punching a man in the head at a bar and cops were forced to use a taser to subdue him. He was dismissed from the team after a misdemeanor drug charge stemming from marajuana.

Jenkins was the 39th overall pick in the draft.