St. Louis Begins Useless Background Check On Jimmy Clausen

It's not a bad idea to perform a routine background check on a draft pick. You consider paying someone millions of dollars to work for you, and you likely owe some due diligence to making sure they aren't fond of watching animals kill each other for sport. (This memo cc'd to 2001-era Arthur Blank and sent back in time. You're welcome, sir!) 

If the Rams are indeed looking through Jimmy Clausen's background, however, they might consider skimping on the full inquisition and opt for the bargain screening. Clausen is already one of the most scrutinized college athletes in the nation, a blue-chip recruit who announced his commitment to Notre Dame at the College Hall of Fame, played four years of football on a campus with a strict conduct code, and lived in the fishbowl of South Bend, Indiana, a place where you can't even get into a harmless little barfight without it becoming big news. 

When you get a Notre Dame player, you may or may not be getting NFL-grade talent anymore.  What you are likely getting is someone whose business is already essentially a matter of public record, and likely not worthy of too much snoopery. Please remember we typed this when Clausen is indicted in a toddler-fighting ring in 2014.