Telvin Smith has never wavered from his desire to be a great football player. He thought nothing would ever get in his way. Then shortly after the 2014 NFL Combine, the Jaguars’ second-year linebacker learned there was a price to pay for his “periodical” use of marijuana at Florida State.
After being a force on FSU’s national championship team, and just as he began training for the combine, Smith tried it again. He didn’t think a little weed was a big deal. It was a bad assumption.
The 6-foot-3 Smith, already downgraded in scouts’ eyes because the NFL prefers weakside linebackers heavier than his 218 pounds, gave the doubters more ammunition with a positive drug test.