It’s an annual rite of passage in the NFL Draft. Every year, without fail, some players wind up failing drug tests administered at the Scouting Combine. We now know who some of those are in 2020, thanks to reports from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and others.
One of the biggest names is one of the biggest men, and also one of the biggest potential targets for the Cleveland Browns at the No. 10 overall pick. Louisville offensive tackle Mekhi Becton was specifically named by Rapoport in his tweet report as failing the drug test.
The new CBA has downgraded failed drug tests, but there is a catch for Becton and others. Because they are not officially NFL players yet, they don’t qualify for that protection. Becton and the others will enter the league with a strike on the substance abuse policy.
It’s a minor issue for Becton and teams that want to draft him.
Multiple players had drug tests flagged at the NFL Combine & among those is projected top 10 pick #Louisville OT Mekhi Becton, I’m told. Teams were made aware of this. Becton had no failed drug tests in college. Per new CBA rules, he goes into Stage 1 for no more than 60 days.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 18, 2020