Bob Stoops: Titans' Dorial Green-Beckham has grown up

When the Titans take the field on Friday for rookie minicamp, all eyes will be on quarterback Marcus Mariota.

The second overall pick of the NFL draft is already the team's biggest star, even before his first pro practice.

He won't be the only rookie under the microscope, however. Wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, a second-round pick, will face intense scrutiny as well, only for an entirely different reason.

Bob Stoops, Green-Beckham's coach last season at Oklahoma, predicts the Titans will like what they get from the talented receiver with a troubled past.

"A lot of times, through different circumstances, young people learn from mistakes, and I felt like he did," Stoops said. "There's a maturing process young people go through, and I believe Dorial has grown. Dorial has so much going for him. I think he is going to have a super career in the NFL. I hope it works out that way, and I believe it will. I really do."

Green-Beckham never played a down under Stoops at Oklahoma, however.

He started his college career at Missouri, where he was twice arrested on marijuana-related charges. He was kicked off the team in April 2014 after he was accused of pushing a female down some stairs. He was not charged in the latter incident.

Green-Beckham enrolled at Oklahoma and practiced with the Sooners last offseason, but the NCAA denied the school's request for a waiver that would have allowed him to play. He remained on the team, but after the season he opted to make himself eligible for the draft. He was the 40th overall pick.

Everything about Green-Beckham "was positive" during his time at Oklahoma, Stoops said. The coach, who recruited the 6-foot-5, 237-pounder out of high school, said he endorsed the player to NFL scouts, including those from the Titans.

Green-Beckham worked hard in practice, helped younger players on the scout team improve and attended workouts every day at 5:30 a.m., according to Stoops.

"He had a great attitude every day, even when he knew he wasn't going to play. He accepted it. ... He did everything we asked him to do. He handled himself wonderfully. I heard from people in our academic center that said what a pleasure he was to work with, and how hard he was working," Stoops said.

"… I wasn't with him in Missouri, but after recruiting him (out of high school) I was comfortable with him. And the bottom line is he showed us the type of character we thought he was. A lot of times, through different circumstances, people learn from mistakes and I felt like he did. I like the direction Dorial is headed."

The Titans think they got a potential game-changer in Green-Beckham, a big and strong wideout who has been compared to NFL stars Calvin Johnson, Dez Bryant and Julio Jones. His size could make him an ideal target in the red zone.

Green-Beckham made a big impact at Missouri, especially during his sophomore season — 59 catches for 883 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The Titans "put in a lot of time" researching Green-Beckham, general manager Ruston Webster said. He acknowledged that blame "will be pointed at me if he has issues off the field — which he wouldn't be the first NFL player to have issues off the field — or if he's not a good enough player. I accept that."

The night he was drafted, Green-Beckham said he wants to prove the Titans made the right decision. He recounted how the support of teammates and coaches at Oklahoma helped him bounce back from his mistakes at Missouri.

"I know not a lot of people know what type of person I am. I know some of the things I've done bettering myself. ... I was a young guy in college having fun. But now I have put that all in my past," Green-Beckham said. "I want to continue to keep getting better each and every day. And to go out there and to win, and to play my heart out for my teammates."

Stoops said Green-Beckham is a much different person than the teenager he recruited out of high school. He believes he will grow into a dynamic NFL player even though he turned pro after two seasons and hasn't played in a game since 2013.

"Kids make mistakes — even good kids make mistakes. They grow from them, learn from them and mature from them, and there's still a lot of life after those mistakes," Stoops said. "I would never have taken him into our program if I didn't believe in him as a young man. And I believe in him even more now."

Reach Jim Wyatt at 615-259-8015 and on Twitter @jwyattsports.