Gareon Conley, Jabrill Peppers among players who could fall in the draft
For NFL draft hopefuls, the joy of hearing their names called is often preceded by an agonizing wait. When a player slides far beyond the point he was projected to be picked, that period can transform into a devastating stretch.
While falling in the NFL draft doesn't have to be a career-defining moment (just ask Aaron Rodgers), it can still be a costly and nerve-wracking exercise.
Here are five players who could fall past the points many initially expected them to be taken in the NFL draft:
Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan
One man's all-purpose threat is another man's tweener. Recasting himself as a safety may have earned Peppers the dreaded label after he spent last year as a linebacker while moonlighting on offense and special teams throughout his career. Now he faces questions about his instincts, deep coverage ability and ball skills given his one interception in three years.
When news broke Monday that Peppers had tested positive for a diluted urine sample at the NFL scouting combine, it raised further questions about whether he might slide out of the first round. But what could end up pushing Peppers even further is a deep class of athletic, experienced defensive backs who don't require the same leap of faith for teams on the end of Thursday's order.
Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
Once viewed as a potential threat to LSU's Leonard Fournette to be the first running back selected, Cook now could fall to third in the pecking order behind Stanford's Christian McCaffrey. Given his play at Florida State, he appeared to be a big-play threat who fit the NFL's demands for a running back capable of contributing in multiple phases. But his extremely poor testing profile at the NFL scouting combine, one that fell well short of what teams seek from a first-round pick, was hard to reconcile with his performance.
Cook has additional potential concerns, which include multiple previous arrests, persistent fumbling issues and a history of shoulder injuries. He might not slide beyond the mid-to-late portion of the first round, but keep an eye on him if he slides past the teens.
DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame
Few classes have ever produced this much uncertainty at quarterback. Kizer could end up on a vulnerable end of that volatility, with North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky, Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes and Clemson's Deshaun Watson all seemingly with a leg up on him. Barring a run at the position, that could leave the strong-armed Notre Dame quarterback waiting until Friday for his name to be called.
Kizer has the tools and upside to emerge as the best quarterback in this draft, but his lapses will make it difficult for him to leapfrog his peers. His best bet for an abridged wait would be for a team with the right fit - possibly one willing to bring him along slowly behind a veteran - to trade up into the end of the first round.
Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
News broke Tuesday that Conley had been accused of raping a woman in a Cleveland hotel (though no warrant had been issue nor charges filed). With an open investigation, teams will have to determine whether they are comfortable with drafting him at all.
Conley previously had been the potential No. 2 cornerback in the draft after college teammate Marshon Lattimore. But there are too many unknowns to make any kind of projection at this stage.
Teez Tabor, CB, Florida
There's little mystery about how one of college football's most accomplished defensive backs put his stock into a potential free fall. Tabor recorded a 4.62-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine, only to follow that mark with a 4.75-second outing at his pro day. He later attributed the times to a hamstring injury, but teams don't overlook runs that slow from a cornerback.
Tabor likely will have to wait deep into Day 2 to hear his name called while several of his positional peers are taken ahead of him. With good ball skills and an established ability to stick with receivers in the short area, Tabor could prove valuable for a team with the right scheme fit.
Follow Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz on Twitter @MikeMSchwartz.
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