LOUISVILLE, KY – NOVEMBER 17: Mekhi Becton #73 of the Louisville Cardinals blocks against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the game at Cardinal Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
The 2020 NFL Draft is less than a week away, but top offensive tackle prospect Mekhi Becton is now dealing with a flagged drug test.
Mekhi Becton has bad timing.
On Friday, six days before the start of the 2020 NFL Draft, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has reported Becton’s drug test at the Scouting Combine was flagged. Becton now goes into the league’s intervention program (Stage 1) and spends the next 60 days in it. If he doesn’t flunk a test in the interim, he’ll be given normal status.
While the newest Collective Bargaining Agreement has relaxed its stance on marijuana, it’s still a bad look for Becton. The hulking left tackle out of Louisville is projected to be a top-12 pick universally, and while this is uncertain to change his stock, it raises questions.
The key question is how could a player put himself in this position? Regardless of potential drug use, there’s the concern about failing a test during this crucial period in Becton’s life. He’s set to make millions and managed to make a critical mistake, and an easily-avoidable one.
How much does the flagged test truly matter? A few years ago, Laremy Tunsil was believed to be a top-five pick at the same position out of Ole Miss. However, a video emerged on draft night of him take rips of marijuana in a mask, and he dropped to the mid-first round before being scooped up by the Miami Dolphins.
However, all it takes is one team to not care.