INDIANAPOLIS — Few players have left more money on the table ahead of this installment of the NFL draft than former Auburn receiver D’haquille Williams.

There was a time last year when he had the makings of a first-round pick, as he had the size, body control and soft hands that talent evaluators like to see in a pass-catching target. In just one season on The Plains — he came to the Tigers as a JUCO transfer — he put enough on tape to potentially be in the conversation with the likes of Ole Miss standout and consensus No. 1 wideout Laquon Treadwell.

Then he got kicked off the team by coach Gus Malzahn in October for an unidentified violation of team rules. As it turns out, said violation was a bar fight. He reportedly punched not one person, but four.

Like every other prospect at the Scouting Combine, Williams is working with a team of people to make him as marketable to the 32 franchises as possible. Rarely is he being asked questions about his on-the-field attributes. The focus is almost exclusively on his off-the-field transgressions. He can play — everyone knows that. But can he handle himself professionally? That’s the real question.

When speaking to reporters Thursday in Indianapolis, to his credit, he blamed nobody but himself for his current position.

“Immature mistakes, just not maturing,” Williams said when asked about his behavior. “Growing up I made mistakes, and then it carried over to me in junior high, high school and then college. All that carried on. And getting kicked off the team, it wasn’t worth it.”

Williams colored outside the lines as a member of Malzahn’s program on several occasions, but it was the incident at the bar that proved to be the most explosive.

“I regret the fight,” he said. “Because Malzahn, he gave me chance after chance. So it’s not his fault. It’s my fault because I should have learned. He took a chance on me, and I hurt the Auburn family by getting dismissed. And I was a senior, so I didn’t want to go out like that.”

A lot of players would have immediately turned the page and looked forward to the draft. Get an agent. Hire a trainer. No longer in school, the opportunity was there to make football a full-time venture.

However, Williams chose to work on himself first. The game could wait. He had some demons to keep at bay:

“At first, I just collected my mind because it was hard for me. Plenty of nights I went to sleep, and I cried. I really cried because I didn’t hurt myself. I also hurt my family, my friends, my teammates, coaches who gave me chance after chance, I hurt them. I had to really collect myself as a person because when I lost football, it felt like I lost a lot of things. That’s something I put my heart into, and to just lose it overnight, it wasn’t worth it.”

Williams revealed that he put himself in counseling to finally grow up and be a man. He’s doing what he can to ensure that he never strays again, and that includes distancing himself from some bad influences.

When it comes to mending fences with the football community, Thursday was a good start. He sounded contrite. He took responsibility for his own actions. He refused to give any excuses. That’s a victory in its own right.

At this point, he knows that he may not even get drafted at all. His red flags are redder than most.

“If I didn’t get in any trouble, I know I’m a legit first-round pick,” said Williams. “But God’s got other plans. I’m a first-round pick no matter what, but off the field I’m a seventh-round pick. My character is a seventh-round pick.”

While a lot of players came to Lucas Oil Stadium this week just looking for a chance at the next level, not many of them have the raw ability that Williams brings to the table. Will it matter? We’ll see.

“I’m just happy to be here,” he said. “It’s a blessing to be here. Whatever team picks me, first through seventh round, it don’t really matter — undrafted. Whenever I get my opportunity, I’m just going to prove that I belong.”

He won over the media during his Q&A. But they’re not the ones making selections on draft weekend.