Becoming a first-round pick in the NFL draft is more beginning than ending. The player arrives to pro football with promise and potential. Where it goes from there depends on many factors, internal and external.
For former NFL defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, a first-round pick of the Cardinals in 2016, his football career did not live up to expectations. His post-football career has now included multiple incidents with law enforcement.
Via TMZ.com, Nkemdiche was [spotted by an officer](https://www.tmz.com/2026/03/04/robert-nkemdiche-arrested-warrants-groceries/) at a grocery store in Georgia with “many large objects, square and rectangular shapes, consistent with concealed grocery items, inside his sweatpants.”
Before he was arrested, Nkemdiche apparently removed the items. The store did not want to press charges. Nkemdiche was nevertheless arrested when his name returned multiple outstanding warrants, including three in Georgia.
Nkemdiche had been the top recruit in the country as his high-school career ended. He played for Ole Miss, leaving early to enter the draft. His college career essentially ended after an incident that resulted in Nkemdiche breaking a window at an Atlanta hotel and [eventually falling 15 feet](https://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/college/ole-miss/2015/12/13/ole-miss-robert-nkemdiche-reportedly-suffers-injuries/77249772/), in an apparent effort to evade apprehension for marijuana possession.
In four years with the Cardinals, Nkemdiche appeared in 29 regular-season games, with six starts. In 2021, he played in eight games with the Seahawks.
Most recently, Nkemdiche played for the Edmonton Elks of the CFL. He had two sacks in four games before suffering an injury. He was released later in the season.