It’s quite common for NFL teams to claim they were shocked that one of their picks was still available when they chose him. Often times those claims could be considered coach-speak and cliché.
In the Patriots case with Aaron Hernandez, Bill Belichick was likely telling the truth when he uttered that familiar refrain at the end of Day 3 of the draft. New England grabbed the pass catching tight end out of Florida midway through the fourth round with the 113th 
pick of the draft, and just a few days later it became clear why the productive receiver was available so late.
A Boston Globe report indicated Hernandez failed “several drug tests” while at Florida due to marijuana use and that caused him to drop significantly in the draft. The report included claims from at least five NFL teams that Hernandez failed more than one test, but the tight end disputed that the following day by issuing a statement:
“Leading up to the draft, I provided every interested NFL team with all the information asked of me about football and my personal life. I was as candid as I could possibly be about everything, including my one single violation of the team’s substance testing policy over the course of three years at the University of Florida. That is why I was very surprised and disappointed by the recent inaccurate report of additional violations. I regret what happened, I learned from it and will make better decisions going forward. I couldn’t be more excited about beginning my NFL career and representing the New England Patriots well.”
Regardless of which story is accurate, the ambiguity surrounding the situation likely did play a role in Hernandez’s status. If that was indeed the case, it worked very much in New England’s favor. Hernandez is a gifted receiver and the reigning Mackey Award winner as the nation’s best tight end. On a team full of playmakers at Florida, he stood out as much as any while racking up 68 receptions for 850 yards and five touchdowns as a junior last season.
As for the off-field concerns pertaining to the failed test, even that doesn’t appear to be a huge worry. First, Hernandez did not test positive at the Combine, which means he will not begin his professional career in the NFL’s substance abuse program. More importantly, Hernandez and his college coach, Urban Meyer, claim the marijuana use began in the aftermath of his father’s sudden death in 2006.
Hernandez was extremely close to his father, Dennis, and was shattered when he died following a routine hernia operation at the age of 49. Hernandez was just 16 at the time and he became a difficult person to be around as he rebelled. It was his tight relationship with Meyer that he credits for returning him on his rightful path.
After a few years of drifting, Hernandez was back on track and the Gators took advantage, using him in a variety of ways. He caught passes of all sorts from Tim Tebow and even worked out of the backfield on occasion.
“What makes Aaron so unique is that he’s so athletic and he’s one of those guys that can truly detatch and be a legitimate receiver,” Gators offensive coordinator Steve Addazio said during the pre-draft process. “He’s a great route runner and has great speed. He’s a hybrid tight end.
“Aaron is a dynamic player that can catch the ball like any wide receiver and make the hard catches. You can get the ball in his 
hands as a tailback and he’s really dynamic there and he can block at the point. It’s hard to find guys like that throughout the country.”
Not many players with descriptions like that get selected in the fourth round. But it was a process Hernandez had to wait out — and was happy to once he realized he would land in New England. The Bristol, Conn., product grew up rooting for the Patriots and Drew Bledsoe in particular. He even made Foxborough his birthday destination when he attended his first game as a present and watched Bledsoe toss a pair of touchdown passes in a victory, although he couldn’t remember New England’s opponent that day.
As for the wait, Hernandez said it was irrelevant.
“It was a long draft, but I was just happy regardless of where I got picked because it’s a dream come true,” he said shortly after getting selected. “I didn’t care whether I went in the first round or the seventh round. As long as I got picked I was going to be happy because there are millions of people out there who would love to be in my shoes. It’s an honor to play for the Patriots.”
This story first appeared in the May issue of Patriots Football Weekly.
