DT B.J. Raji tests POSITIVE FOR DRUGS!

[The Shadow]

So he's now another no-talent weed smoker,..... like Warren Sapp?

[Gunakor]

OK, you draft Raji, have him sit in prison in a year, then he'll be a clean camper too..

C'mon man, use your head. Dude isn't going to stop smoking until it really bites him in the ass.

It is my understanding he will have one strike against him now, since it was the NFL that caught him.

He's not going to prison. Where did you get that he was going to prison? He failed an NFL drug test. He is facing NFL discipline for it, which is to say he's been entered into the initial stage of the NFL drug program. No fine, no suspension. Just random testing, drug counseling, and a probationary period in which if he gets caught again he faces possible fines or suspensions. The police aren't involved in this even a little bit.

[DonHutson]

But Koren Robinson by all accounts cleaned up his act in Green Bay, became a model citizen and teammate in fact, so why is it so hard to believe that someone like Raji couldn't do the same thing in a similar setting?

That's a valid point. Then again, they got Robinson off the scrap heap and invested next to nothing in him. Investing a rare top ten pick and a truckload of money in a guy would make me a little more particular about such things.

Ted might take a character risk later in the draft with one of his trade down extras, but he seems to play it pretty safe when the big bucks are on the line.

I'd be pretty surprised if Ted took Raji, and with the Bengals and Raiders picking ahead of us, we probably still won't get the chance.

[Joemailman]

So he's now another no-talent weed smoker,..... like Warren Sapp?

The difference is that Sapp never tested positive in tests conducted by the NFL. There were reports, which he denied, of positive tests while at Miami. If a team in the top 10 thinks Raji is a future dominant player, he may be worth the chance. If not, he'll probably drop to the middle of the 1st round. I think I'd pass at #9.

[Gunakor]

But Koren Robinson by all accounts cleaned up his act in Green Bay, became a model citizen and teammate in fact, so why is it so hard to believe that someone like Raji couldn't do the same thing in a similar setting?

That's a valid point. Then again, they got Robinson off the scrap heap and invested next to nothing in him. Investing a rare top ten pick and a truckload of money in a guy would make me a little more particular about such things.

Ted might take a character risk later in the draft with one of his trade down extras, but he seems to play it pretty safe when the big bucks are on the line.

I still think this is a safe pick. He's far and away the best DT in the draft. For a team that lost another DT amongst an already thin group this offseason, and a couple of the others that are moving out to the ends, I think you need to do this. Depth behind Pickett, not to mention an eventual replacement for him sooner rather than later, is extremely important right now. And BJ Raji type NT's aren't going to come around every year. If he's there for us at #9, I think he's much too valuable to pass on.

[Partial]

OK, you draft Raji, have him sit in prison in a year, then he'll be a clean camper too..

C'mon man, use your head. Dude isn't going to stop smoking until it really bites him in the ass.

It is my understanding he will have one strike against him now, since it was the NFL that caught him.

He's not going to prison. Where did you get that he was going to prison? He failed an NFL drug test. He is facing NFL discipline for it, which is to say he's been entered into the initial stage of the NFL drug program. No fine, no suspension. Just random testing, drug counseling, and a probationary period in which if he gets caught again he faces possible fines or suspensions. The police aren't involved in this even a little bit.

Right... Koren cleaned up AFTER he was kicked outta the league and spent time in the clink. Who knows if hes still clean.

[Partial]

Guys like Raji are there every year. Each and every year. He's nothing special.

[Gunakor]

Guys like Raji are there every year. Each and every year. He's nothing special.

Who was last year's BJ Raji?

[Partial]

2008 - Sedrick Ellis, Glenn Dorsey were both better prospects. More production, less drugs, less red flags.

2007 - Okoye, Harrell were equal or better prospects. Harrell was an SEC stud.

2006 - Haloit Ngata, Broderick Bunkley

2005 - Very weak for DT

2004 - Tommie Harris, Vince Wilfolk

2003 - Kevin Williams, Dewayne Robertson, Johnathan Sullivan, Jimmy Kennedy

2002 - John Henderson, Albert Haynesworth

2001 - Gerard Warren, Richard Seymour, Damione Lewis, Marcus Stroud


This is a really weak year for DT imo.

[Joemailman]

Ngata was probably a better prospect than Raji, and he went #12 without a positive drug test. Raji is very good, but there's a question of whether he's a special player, or just the best of a weak class.

[Gunakor]

I'm only talking about nose tackles. 4-3 tackles are different. True nose tackles are a rare breed. Glenn Dorsey isn't a nose, and neither is Ellis or Harrell or Tommie Harris. Kevin Williams is to light to play the nose. Vince Wilfork definitely was a better NT prospect than Raji, I'll give you that. Haloti Ngata would have been a stud NT perhaps, but he plays the end in Baltimore.

Guys, we need a NOSE tackle. Not another Justin Harrell. Not a Glenn Dorsey. Raji is almost 340 pounds and strong as an ox. He's a NOSE tackle. He's what we need.

[RashanGary]

Raji is a unique, tough to find, NT.

Big red flag that he can't stay away from pot long enough to make millions though. Huge red flag. Academic problems too.


Would definitely be a scary pick. Thompson seems more willing to take injury risks than character risks. We'll see. He could very well be there for us to pick at 9. I'm sure Jags will give McCarthy the low down on the kid. If he gets a glowing endorsement from Jags, he could be our pick @ #9.

[Joemailman]

Wouldn't a positive drug test guarantee that Cincinnati will take him at #6?

[Fritz]

As someone noted above, with Cinci picking at the #6 spot, how could they pass on the chance to take a popssible pot-smoking rule-breaker? He's "Bengals people."

Besides, the question as to whether the Pack should take him hinges on two questions: what drug did he test postive for? And, if it was pot, was it good pot and can he get some for the Packerrats who smoke it up in the Wisconsin area?

[bigcoz75]

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