Robert Nkemdiche is a top prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft. If you look at the mock drafts up online Nkemdiche is slotted to go anywhere from the end of the first round to the middle of the second. He was, according to one scout, the most highly touted high school prospect since Herschel Walker and Bo Jackson.

Over the last few months Nkemdiche has been going through the normal process that a draft prospect goes through. Players will go through the combine, have private workouts at the college they went to as well as get interviewed by teams wanting to sign them as well as the media at large.

Recently, in a story done by ESPN's Seth Wickersham, Nkemdiche talks about the idea that he wants to buy a pet panther when he gets drafted into the NFL. When asked about the possible danger associated with owing a panther Nkemdiche doesn't see the problem with it.

"No, it's not. They're like cats."

"If someone comes over and is scared, I'll put the panther away."

Technically, he's right. They are like cats, just a little bit bigger. On average, adult male panthers are about 6-8 feet long and weigh between 130 and 160 lbs. and female panthers are about 5-7 feet long and weigh between 70-100 lbs. Also they hit a speed of 36 mph so running away from it is out.

Now, Nkemdiche is also the same guy who, a few months ago, leaps out of a fourth story building for reasons still not fully known. He was later hospitalized and charged with possession of marijuana and suspended for what would have been his final game, the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day 2016.

Now, an athlete owning a weird pet isn't really anything new. Gilbert Arenas owned a shark, Mikki Moore owned multiple snakes and Darnell Dockett has owned an alligator and a tiger. Not a baby tiger, a full grown tiger.

https://twitter.com/ddockett/status/549959649605472256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

So, is it a big deal that Nkemdiche wants to own a panther? No, professional athletes tend to be wired a little bit differently anyways. Google Lawrence Taylor and you'll understand. However, when you add in the "character issues" mentioned earlier teams will probably raise an eyebrow when they see this.