One of the top tackle prospects in Thursday’s NFL Draft, Mekhi Becton of Louisville, had a drug test flagged for possible dilution at the scouting combine. Becton has done his best to get out in front of the situation, contacting teams personally to explain his side of the story. His former athletic director came out publicly with support. Still, it is not difficult to envision this issue leading to a shakeup in the top 10. While this might not be as serious Laremy Tunsil‘s gas mask incident, it was only 4 years ago that a tackle tumbled due to drug concerns. The underlying issue is the effect of the new CBA; without a potential punishment, does Becton’s drug test even matter?

Do Drug Tests Matter Anymore?

To be clear- a diluted test simply means that there was too much water concentration to verify a negative. Becton could simply have had an excessive amount of water or diuretics for non-nefarious purposes. If he had been attempting to mask a substance, it could have been any banned substance, whether it be narcotic or performance-enhancing. The assumption in these situations due to the string of player issues dating back at least to Ricky Williams is always marijuana. The interesting thing this year is, if it is related to marijuana use, will teams care?

One of the flashier headlines of the new CBA agreed to by the league and players this year was that it is now more difficult to lose game time for a positive marijuana test. Given that case, will teams care as much as the teams that picked in front of the Miami Dolphins at 13 in 2016 did? In a year where the draft promises to be different than any other in more ways than one, it is hard to say exactly where Becton was going to go before today.

Mekhi Becton drug screen flagged for possible dilution

— MD’s Fantasy Football Show (@mdsffshow) April 19, 2020

How Becton’s Drug Test Impacts the Future

Regardless, whether Becton goes early on Thursday night likely won’t have much fantasy impact this year. If a team does decide to pass on him because of the test, the likeliest outcome is that team choosing the next tackle on their board. The biggest impact that Becton’s drug test will have on the draft as a whole will be which of the tier two tackles moves up into tier one. If Becton does go early, though, what we might get to witness is an insight into the future. Becton coming out of this unaffected might spell a trend moving forward. The next time a potential star position player finds themselves in a sticky drug situation pre-draft, where Becton goes will provide insight on how teams might deal with it.

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