Zach Mettenberger needed to have his pre-draft evaluation period go a lot smoother than it did. One factor he couldn't control, and one he reportedly mishandled, appear to have knocked the former LSU quarterback down to the sixth round of the NFL draft, where he was taken by Tennessee Saturday.
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Mettenberger, the second pick of the sixth round and the 178th pick overall, was one of six players specifically named in a report Monday, three days before the draft, as having failed the drug test at the combine in February. The report said that Mettenberger's sample was "diluted," which counts as a positive test in the NFL program.
Before that, Mettenberger had received high grades for his recovery from a torn left ACL in his final regular-season game at LSU. He wore a brace on his knee at his pro day in April (and, like Johnny Manziel had, wore a helmet and pads) and impressed with his performance less than five months after the injury. Before the red-flag from the combine, he was considered a solid fourth- or fifth-round prospect.
His size (6 foot 5, 224 pounds) and tutoring as a senior by former NFL head coach and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron labeled Mettenberger as a quarterback ready to step in with a pro-style offense, once he was fully healthy.
The Titans' quarterback position might be ripe for the taking, as new coach Ken Whisenhunt has not committed to returning starter Jake Locker. Still, the Titans didn't address quarterback until very late. Mettenberger was the 10th quarterback taken.