The delicate balance between on-field talent and off-field issues is one of the most difficult aspects of evaluating prospects for the NFL. In the case of Dorial Green-Beckham, it will likely determine whether he is a perennial Pro-Bowler or out of football entirely.

Green-Beckham had a myriad of off-field issues, which eventually led to his dismissal from the University of Missouri. The reason for Green-Beckham’s issues may have been due to bad decision making due to immaturity.

“All the decisions I made, I wish I could take it back,” Green-Beckham said. “It happened, I was young, I made mistakes, I understand that. I just want to focus on one thing, and look forward to just this draft and focus on being the best I can be.”

After his dismissal from Missouri, Green-Beckham transferred to Oklahoma, where he was ineligible to play, but he was allowed to take part in practice and be a part of the team. This will be an aspect of Green-Beckham’s life that teams will really investigate and scrutinize. After hitting rock bottom, did Green-Beckham change his life around and stop making dumb mistakes?

Even though it was tough, Green-Beckham believes that the time away was tough, but allowed him to mature and become a better person off the field:

“I proved I’m a better person by just showing them how mature I’ve grown,” Green-Beckham said. “These last few months have been real tough for me. Missing the whole season and missing playing with my teammates and just missing football, period. Just looking from the outside in and seeing things that I’ve never seen before, I just want to take advantage of that and just make sure that I’m there to help my teammates and make sure I’m the best guy I can be off the field and try to show everybody I’m capable of doing those things.”

One NFL scout echoed that statement, but stated that he believed a certain family member should be credited with helping Green-Beckham mature.

“He’s completely turned his life around. Big brother moved in, whipped his ass and took control. He’s on the straight-and-narrow since leaving Mizzou.”

If that is indeed the case, Green-Beckham is on a direct path toward NFL stardom. At 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds, he is an incredible athlete that posted a 4.49 40-yard dash at the recent NFL Scouting Combine. Furthermore, with a 33-inch vertical and 32.5-inch arms, Green-Beckham has the type of huge catch radius that will be a quarterback’s best friend once he reaches the NFL.

Not only does he have the height, weight and speed that you want in a wide receiver, but he also has the production to back up his immense physical talent. In 2013, he had 59 catches for 883 yards and 12 touchdowns and it should have been more if Missouri wasn’t held back by poor quarterback play.

Green-Beckham’s best trait is that he doesn’t have to create separation to be open. His large frame allows him to box out defenders, while his incredible leaping ability and natural hands lead to him winning at the catch point on a regular basis.

His physical talent and technical nuance are reasons why Green-Beckham is the most talented wide receiver in this draft. In a down year talent wise for the 2015 NFL draft, Green-Beckham is a transcendent talent who would be a top-10 player if it wasn’t for his long list of issues outside of football. Nevertheless, it is because of that talent that Green-Beckham could still hear his name called on the first day of the draft in May.

Green-Beckham’s NFL prospects will be a hot topic among war rooms across the NFL. Some teams will take him totally off their board and some will come to grip with his issues and believe he is destined to do better. Whichever is the case, Green-Beckham will prove a lot of people wrong and an equal amount of people right.

The chips are stacked equally between his off-field demons and on-field talent, it is up to Green-Beckham as to which side has the winning hand.