With just days remaining before the 2017 NFL Draft, hybrid safety prospect Jabrill Peppers’ stock took a serious hit Monday.
Peppers tested positive for a diluted sample at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter, placing him in the NFL’s drug program. Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster previously was flagged for the same violation.
Peppers’ agency, CAA, released a statement defending its client, claiming the diluted sample was the result of him drinking too much water before his combine workouts. The Michigan product worked out with two position groups — defensive backs and linebackers — rather than the usual one.
“Peppers went to the combine,” the statement read, via ProFootballTalk. “He was sick after flying there from San Diego. He has a history of cramping. Peppers was being pumped with fluids, drinking eight to 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.”
How exactly this news will affect Peppers’ draft status is unclear. Most experts had him pegged as a late first-round pick, with some predicting the New England Patriots would draft him at No. 32 before they traded that selection to the New Orleans Saints last month.
Perhaps the most versatile player in this year’s draft class, the 5-foot-11, 213-pound Peppers played safety, linebacker, running back and slot receiver during his three years at Michigan while also returning punts. NFL talent evaluators, however, still debate how he’ll be used at the next level.
“Great player, obviously, but you have to sit and think about what he is in your defense,” one NFL general manager told ESPN’s Dan Graziano. “He doesn’t take the ball away (one interception this past season), so can you play him at safety? He’s not big enough to play linebacker. There are plenty of ways he can help you — he’s your punt returner right away — but you have to sit and think about what you can do with him.”
Thumbnail photo via Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports Images
