NFL Draft: Jabrill Peppers’ Dilute Sample Is A Kink, Not A Bust
Jabrill Peppers tested positive for a dilute sample at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, but this isn’t anything that should ruin his NFL draft status.
Jabrill Peppers became the second player in this NFL draft class to test positive for a dilute urine sample at the NFL combine in early March.
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That’s according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The first conclusion is that Peppers was anticipating testing positive for something and took measures to try to hide it. Creative Artists Agency, which is representing Peppers, released a statement saying Peppers was simply overly hydrated after getting sick.
"Peppers went to the combine. He was sick after flying there from San Diego. He has a history of cramping. Peppers was being pumped with fluids, drinking 8-10 bottles of water before he went to bed, because he was the first guy to work out two days for the LBs and DBs. He had to go through that first day, come back on second day, and that was the fear. So Peppers was pounding water and under the weather. He never failed a drug test in his life, nor tested positive before for any substance."
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While that could be true, it’s very unlikely that NFL teams are going to buy into that story, especially if they’re just going to be forced to take Peppers and CAA at their word.
Most mock drafts have had Peppers going somewhere late in the first round or early in the second round of the draft. In Mel Kiper’s and Todd McShay’s latest three-round mock draft, Kiper projected Peppers higher to the Indianapolis Colts with the No. 15 overall pick.
The draft starts on April 27, which is not going to help Peppers. This doesn’t seem to be a situation that would still be bubbling if it had happened even a month ago. But with there being so little time to move on, this is something that will definitely be talked about.
The sentiment so far is that Peppers is probably going to drop because of this, but no one is offering a clear look at exactly how far. The bottom like here, though, is that Peppers’ draft stock is far from shot because of a dilute urine sample.
It’s probably more likely that Peppers drops because teams simply aren’t sure how to project him at the NFL level, rather than worries about his character or anything like that.
This is the NFL we’re talking about. If Joe Mixon can knock a woman out cold and still likely get drafted (by a team that clearly doesn’t understand PR), then Peppers will probably be just fine with this positive test for a dilute sample. The NFL is full of examples of teams looking past much worse happenings.
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Simply put, Peppers’ draft stock is still fine.