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Rumors about drugs, poor tests or attitudes, even if false, can cause a player's NFL Draft stock to take a big hit
Click-2-Listen
By BEN VOLIN
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 12, 2009
GAINESVILLE — Louis Oliver knows just how Percy Harvin feels this month.
Like Harvin, Oliver was a star at the University of Florida and was the subject of rumors about a failed drug test in 1989 that sent his draft stock plummeting.
Oliver, expected to be a top-10 pick, wound up going at No. 25 to the Dolphins.
"I didn't drink, I didn't smoke, I didn't do anything. I was like, 'You've got to be kidding,' " said Oliver, a safety from Glades Central High School. "But it's out of your control. There's nothing you can really do about it."
Twenty years later, the rumors are swirling around another Gators' star and there's nothing Harvin can do about it.
First there was the reported score of 12 out of 50 on Harvin's Wonderlic test in February, which measures quick thinking and basic problem solving. Then NFLDraftBible.com reported 10 days ago that Harvin and three other players tested positive for marijuana at February's NFL Combine in Indianapolis, though no other outlet has confirmed the report.
"He's as talented as anyone in the draft this year," said Gil Brandt, the longtime general manager of Tom Landry's Dallas Cowboys and now a draft analyst for NFL.com. "But he has those off-field problems, and that's going to knock him down a little bit."
Harvin scored 32 touchdowns in three seasons and was a major factor on two national championship teams. He can play running back or receiver, averaged 11 yards every time he touched the ball in 2008 (110 times), and, playing with a fractured bone in his foot, famously gained 170 yards with a touchdown in the 2009 national title game.
Still, Pro Football Weekly recently polled NFL executives about the riskiest picks in this coming draft and Harvin was selected as the unanimous winner because of "coachability, a posse of hangers-on, his lack of respect for authority and drug usage."
The reports never will be publicly confirmed by the NFL, but fair or not, the rumors are out there. Combine them with Harvin's frequent run-ins with authorities as a high school star in the Virginia Beach area, which resulted in him being removed from high school sports altogether, and suddenly Harvin has gone from a top-10 pick to maybe slipping to the second round.
"Clear and void of those things, he's a first-round pick," said Tony Pauline, draft expert for SportsIllustrated.com. "But a guy like that, those things could hurt a lot. It could knock him out of the first round."
Harvin in good company
Harvin isn't the first player to have his name tarnished with drug rumors in the weeks leading up to the draft.
Warren Sapp fell to Tampa Bay with the 12th pick in 1995 because of rumors of a failed marijuana test. Randy Moss fell in the Vikings' lap with the 21st pick in 1998 for similar reasons.
And Dolphins fans should be thankful for the rumors about Dan Marino's cocaine habits and score of 16 on the Wonderlic, because otherwise he likely wouldn't have fallen to Miami with the 27th pick in 1983.
On the flip side is former Michigan State receiver Charles Rogers, who went second overall to the Lions in 2003 despite rumors of a watered-down urine test - code words for a drug-masking agent. Rogers, however, failed at least three league-administered drug tests and has not played in the NFL since 2005.
Rumors and allegations
The rumors are "rampant" this time of year, Brandt said, because of the money at stake in the first round of the draft. Last year's first-round picks averaged $11 million in guaranteed money, while Jake Long, who went No. 1 overall to the Dolphins, pocketed $30 million guaranteed.
Brandt said it is possible that the Harvin, considered one of the top-five receiver prospects, is having his name dragged through the mud by the agent of a rival receiver hoping to leapfrog Harvin in the draft.
"If you move up from the 12th spot to the ninth spot, there might be $3 million involved," Brandt said. "How did someone find out about Harvin? Did Kenny Britt's agent do this? Did (Darius) Heyward-Bay's? You just don't know."
Some speculate that the rumors are coming out now following conversations between NFL executives and Florida coach Urban Meyer, who declined to comment on Harvin's failed drug test.
It's all about the money
It is also possible that the rumors are being circulated by teams picking at the bottom of the first round, who don't think Harvin would otherwise be available when they select.
Oliver, who played eight seasons in the NFL, said he "wouldn't be surprised" if it was the Dolphins themselves who circulated the rumors about him in 1989.
While testing positive for marijuana is not the most serious offense, it sets off a red flag about a player's maturity and commitment.
"The NFL isn't as structured. He's not going to be watched as he was in college," said Pauline, a draft analyst for over 20 years. "All of a sudden you're forking over millions of dollars to this kid, and he's got to be responsible for himself."
Whether the rumors become public or not, NFL teams do extensive background checks on players.
In 1964, Brandt identified a talented prospect who had rumors of drug use while growing up in Jacksonville. He fell all the way to the seventh round, and at that point, Brandt had no problem snapping him up. Ten years and 71 touchdowns later, nobody questioned the Cowboys' selection of Hall of Famer Bob Hayes.
"We always made sure they were true or not true," Brandt said or the rumors. "If we couldn't confirm them and we thought it was substantial, we wouldn't eliminate him, but we would move him down."
Harvin has not returned several phone calls, and neither has his agent, Joel Segal. The best thing he can do now, Oliver said, is prove himself through his actions.
"Percy knows what he's done and what he hasn't done," Oliver said. "But once he gets with a team, and if he just does as best as he can for as long as he can, somebody's going to be real happy with him."
A LOOK AT OTHERS HURT BY RUMORS
Rumors of failed drug tests and low Wonderlic scores are circulating about Florida Gators star Percy Harvin, but how will it affect his stock in this month's NFL Draft? If history is any indication, he may slip a few spots, perhaps even out of the first round:
Dan Marino: Fell to the Dolphins with the 27th pick in the 1983 draft because of rumors of cocaine use and a score of 16 on the Wonderlic test. The rest is history.
Louis Oliver: The former Gators saftey was projected as a top-10 pick in 1989, but fell to the Dolphins at 25 after a report of a failed drug test surfaced on the day of the draft.
Warren Sapp: Talented but troubled defensive tackle from Miami denied marijuana use to the bitter end, but it didn't stop the potential No. 1 overall pick from falling to Tampa Bay at No. 12.
Randy Moss: Between rumors of marijuana use and getting kicked off of Florida State's team, no general manager was willing to choose him in the first 20 picks of the 1998 draft. The Minnesota Vikings gladly snagged him at 21, and Moss made the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
Charles Rogers: His drug test at the 2003 combine came back with too much water, code words for Rogers using a masking agent to pass the test. The Detroit Lions still took him No. 2 overall, but Rogers failed at least three league-administered drug tests and has not played in the NFL since 2005.
Click-2-Listen
By BEN VOLIN
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 12, 2009
GAINESVILLE — Louis Oliver knows just how Percy Harvin feels this month.
Like Harvin, Oliver was a star at the University of Florida and was the subject of rumors about a failed drug test in 1989 that sent his draft stock plummeting.
Oliver, expected to be a top-10 pick, wound up going at No. 25 to the Dolphins.
"I didn't drink, I didn't smoke, I didn't do anything. I was like, 'You've got to be kidding,' " said Oliver, a safety from Glades Central High School. "But it's out of your control. There's nothing you can really do about it."
Twenty years later, the rumors are swirling around another Gators' star and there's nothing Harvin can do about it.
First there was the reported score of 12 out of 50 on Harvin's Wonderlic test in February, which measures quick thinking and basic problem solving. Then NFLDraftBible.com reported 10 days ago that Harvin and three other players tested positive for marijuana at February's NFL Combine in Indianapolis, though no other outlet has confirmed the report.
"He's as talented as anyone in the draft this year," said Gil Brandt, the longtime general manager of Tom Landry's Dallas Cowboys and now a draft analyst for NFL.com. "But he has those off-field problems, and that's going to knock him down a little bit."
Harvin scored 32 touchdowns in three seasons and was a major factor on two national championship teams. He can play running back or receiver, averaged 11 yards every time he touched the ball in 2008 (110 times), and, playing with a fractured bone in his foot, famously gained 170 yards with a touchdown in the 2009 national title game.
Still, Pro Football Weekly recently polled NFL executives about the riskiest picks in this coming draft and Harvin was selected as the unanimous winner because of "coachability, a posse of hangers-on, his lack of respect for authority and drug usage."
The reports never will be publicly confirmed by the NFL, but fair or not, the rumors are out there. Combine them with Harvin's frequent run-ins with authorities as a high school star in the Virginia Beach area, which resulted in him being removed from high school sports altogether, and suddenly Harvin has gone from a top-10 pick to maybe slipping to the second round.
"Clear and void of those things, he's a first-round pick," said Tony Pauline, draft expert for SportsIllustrated.com. "But a guy like that, those things could hurt a lot. It could knock him out of the first round."
Harvin in good company
Harvin isn't the first player to have his name tarnished with drug rumors in the weeks leading up to the draft.
Warren Sapp fell to Tampa Bay with the 12th pick in 1995 because of rumors of a failed marijuana test. Randy Moss fell in the Vikings' lap with the 21st pick in 1998 for similar reasons.
And Dolphins fans should be thankful for the rumors about Dan Marino's cocaine habits and score of 16 on the Wonderlic, because otherwise he likely wouldn't have fallen to Miami with the 27th pick in 1983.
On the flip side is former Michigan State receiver Charles Rogers, who went second overall to the Lions in 2003 despite rumors of a watered-down urine test - code words for a drug-masking agent. Rogers, however, failed at least three league-administered drug tests and has not played in the NFL since 2005.
Rumors and allegations
The rumors are "rampant" this time of year, Brandt said, because of the money at stake in the first round of the draft. Last year's first-round picks averaged $11 million in guaranteed money, while Jake Long, who went No. 1 overall to the Dolphins, pocketed $30 million guaranteed.
Brandt said it is possible that the Harvin, considered one of the top-five receiver prospects, is having his name dragged through the mud by the agent of a rival receiver hoping to leapfrog Harvin in the draft.
"If you move up from the 12th spot to the ninth spot, there might be $3 million involved," Brandt said. "How did someone find out about Harvin? Did Kenny Britt's agent do this? Did (Darius) Heyward-Bay's? You just don't know."
Some speculate that the rumors are coming out now following conversations between NFL executives and Florida coach Urban Meyer, who declined to comment on Harvin's failed drug test.
It's all about the money
It is also possible that the rumors are being circulated by teams picking at the bottom of the first round, who don't think Harvin would otherwise be available when they select.
Oliver, who played eight seasons in the NFL, said he "wouldn't be surprised" if it was the Dolphins themselves who circulated the rumors about him in 1989.
While testing positive for marijuana is not the most serious offense, it sets off a red flag about a player's maturity and commitment.
"The NFL isn't as structured. He's not going to be watched as he was in college," said Pauline, a draft analyst for over 20 years. "All of a sudden you're forking over millions of dollars to this kid, and he's got to be responsible for himself."
Whether the rumors become public or not, NFL teams do extensive background checks on players.
In 1964, Brandt identified a talented prospect who had rumors of drug use while growing up in Jacksonville. He fell all the way to the seventh round, and at that point, Brandt had no problem snapping him up. Ten years and 71 touchdowns later, nobody questioned the Cowboys' selection of Hall of Famer Bob Hayes.
"We always made sure they were true or not true," Brandt said or the rumors. "If we couldn't confirm them and we thought it was substantial, we wouldn't eliminate him, but we would move him down."
Harvin has not returned several phone calls, and neither has his agent, Joel Segal. The best thing he can do now, Oliver said, is prove himself through his actions.
"Percy knows what he's done and what he hasn't done," Oliver said. "But once he gets with a team, and if he just does as best as he can for as long as he can, somebody's going to be real happy with him."
A LOOK AT OTHERS HURT BY RUMORS
Rumors of failed drug tests and low Wonderlic scores are circulating about Florida Gators star Percy Harvin, but how will it affect his stock in this month's NFL Draft? If history is any indication, he may slip a few spots, perhaps even out of the first round:
Dan Marino: Fell to the Dolphins with the 27th pick in the 1983 draft because of rumors of cocaine use and a score of 16 on the Wonderlic test. The rest is history.
Louis Oliver: The former Gators saftey was projected as a top-10 pick in 1989, but fell to the Dolphins at 25 after a report of a failed drug test surfaced on the day of the draft.
Warren Sapp: Talented but troubled defensive tackle from Miami denied marijuana use to the bitter end, but it didn't stop the potential No. 1 overall pick from falling to Tampa Bay at No. 12.
Randy Moss: Between rumors of marijuana use and getting kicked off of Florida State's team, no general manager was willing to choose him in the first 20 picks of the 1998 draft. The Minnesota Vikings gladly snagged him at 21, and Moss made the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
Charles Rogers: His drug test at the 2003 combine came back with too much water, code words for Rogers using a masking agent to pass the test. The Detroit Lions still took him No. 2 overall, but Rogers failed at least three league-administered drug tests and has not played in the NFL since 2005.