If Jaylon Ferguson wants to improve his draft stock, he’s going to have to do it without attending the NFL combine.
According to NFL.com, Ferguson’s invitation to the combine has been rescinded after a background check on the former Louisiana Tech star showed that he had once been convicted of simple battery. Ferguson’s run-in with the law came during his freshman year in college after he was involved in a fight at a local McDonald’s.
Although Ferguson was one of the 338 players who originally received an invite to the combine, that number is now down to 337 since he won’t be attending.
Under NFL policy, a player can be disinvited from the event “if a background check reveals a conviction of a felony or misdemeanor involving violence.” Ferguson is still eligible to be drafted, he’s just not allowed to attend the combine, which runs from Feb. 26 to March 4 in Indianapolis.
The NFL’s policy on violence is why Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and Colorado State receiver Preston Williams weren’t invited to the combine. Ferguson and all players who get invited to the combine are forced to agree to a background check as part of accepting the invite. During Ferguson’s background check, the NFL also discovered that he had been charged with public intoxication while in college.
Although the league discovered two red flags, there’s a chance that teams will be willing to overlook them, and that’s because Ferguson had one of the most decorated careers of any pass rusher in NCAA history. During his four years at Louisiana Tech, Ferguson set the NCAA record for most sacks with 45, which broke Terrell Suggs’ old record of 44.
Ferguson is currently projected to go anywhere from the late first round to the second or third round of the NFL Draft. In his latest mock draft, CBSSports.com senior NFL writer Pete Prisco actually has Ferguson being selected in the first round. To see where Prisco has him landing, be sure to click here.