One of the interesting parts of the pre-draft process in the NFL is often how many tidbits come out about different organizations and how they elect to navigate the muddy waters that is the NFL Draft, whether it’s the random questions that come out during player interviews or how the Washington Commanders reportedly took a bunch of prospects to TopGolf instead of doing one-on-one dinners this year.
One former Arizona Cardinals player recently detailed a unique and perplexing thing that was said to him before being drafted.
Tyrann Mathieu appeared on The Ross Tucker Podcast and shared that the first thing Cardinals owner Michael Bidwell said to him was, “I’m going to draft you, but I’m going to drug test you as well.”
“I am going to draft you but I am going to drug test you as well…”
The first thing Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said to Tyrann Mathieu before picking him in the 3rd round: pic.twitter.com/W0QlKXTNGF
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) May 12, 2024
That’s a bold statement to make to a draft prospect, but after so much success in the NFL, many fans may have forgotten that Mathieu’s time in college at LSU wasn’t quite as smooth.
As Mathieu details in the clip, at that point in his life he had gone a while without playing football after getting kicked off the team and getting arrested, so he welcomed the challenge from Bidwell.
He also cited head coach Bruce Arians and veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson for being stable mentors for him as he began his path in the NFL.
Saying this to a draft prospect could be taken the wrong way, but it had to be done given the state Mathieu was in before the draft.
Needless to say, things have worked out great for the Honey Badger.
The post Former Cardinals Player Said He Agreed To Drug Test Before Being Drafted appeared first on The Cold Wire.