Why was Justin Blackmon arrested? Former Jaguars' No. 5 draft pick facing legal trouble

Justin Blackmon has not played in the NFL since 2013, but he continues to make the news off the field for his regrettable behavior. At midnight on Saturday, the former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver was reportedly arrested in Payne County, Oklahoma, for public intoxication.

Media site Draft Diamonds was the first to break the news, releasing a mugshot of the fifth overall pick of 2012:

This represents the latest arrest for Blackmon. Back in June 2012, just after he was drafted, he was arrested for DUI in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where his alma mater - Oklahoma State University - is located. He was ultimately released from custody the same day.

In July 2014, while on indefinite suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy for the second time, he was pulled over in Edmond, Oklahoma, for possession of marijuana.

In Dec. 2015, he was arrested in his birthplace of Ardmore, yet again for DUI. He pleaded guilty and was given a one-year prison sentence, which was suspended pending completion of a one-year probation program. The terms of his deal also included a $1,000 fine and an obligation to perform 100 hours of community service.

A brief overview of Justin Blackmon's football career

There is a reason why Justin Blackmon was highly regarded in the 2012 draft. After being sparingly used as a freshman, he exploded for 1,782 yards and 20 touchdowns in 111 catches as a sophomore. He was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, also winning the Fred Biletnikoff Award. He maintained this elite form in 2011, covering 1,522 yards and scoring 18 touchdowns on 122 catches and winning yet another Biletnikoff.

Ahead of the draft, he drew comparisons to Terrell Owens and Anquan Boldin, which was a major influencing factor in the Jacksonville Jaguars’s decision to trade up from seventh to fifth for him.

As a rookie, Blackmon shone - catching 64 receptions for 865 yards (both rookie highs) and five touchdowns - and also led all rookies in first downs.

But his career was derailed in Apr. 2013, when he was suspended for the first four games of the impending season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He managed to play four games, catching 29 passes for 415 yards and a touchdown, before another violation during the bye week led to an indefinite ban.

He would not play at all in 2014 and 2015, and the Jaguars refused to let him leave for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts. He has remained unreleased ever since.