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Michael Sam dropped in the 2014 N.F.L. draft compared to most experts’ predictions after he came out as gay earlier that year. Laremy Tunsil slid several spots in the 2016 draft when video of him apparently smoking marijuana surfaced on draft night.
Even if fans may not approve, teams’ aversion to off-field “issues” when deciding whom to select has a certain logic. After all, teams are sensitive to the smallest question marks. That is why prospects are subjected to rigorous predraft examinations in which their 40-yard dash is timed, their intelligence is quantified and their hand size is measured.