One of the draft’s top pass rushers will be sidelined for at least the next six months. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter), Michigan linebacker David Ojabo has suffered a torn Achilles.
Doctors pointed to Rams running back Cam Akers‘ six-month recovery from a torn Achilles, and they believe Ojabo will have a similar timeline. Doctors also expect a “full and complete recovery.”
Ojabo suffered the injury during his pro day yesterday. Per Albert Breer of TheMMQB (on Twitter), the linebacker suffered the injury during a standard pass drop. Per the reporter, Ojabo “caught the ball, planted, pushed off and went to the ground.” Teammate Aidan Hutchinson told reporters that the linebacker was “wincing in pain,” and the linebacker was ultimately helped off the field be trainers.
This is a tough break for a prospect who has rocketed up the draft boards following a breakout 2021 campaign. Ojabo finished the season with 11 sacks and 12 tackles for loss, helping guide Michigan to the College Football Playoff. ESPN’s Mel Kiper had the linebacker going in the first round of next month’s draft, and it’s uncertain how this untimely injury will affect his draft status (per ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren).
Stinks
Some team is likely gonna get a steal in the 3rd/4th round. Hope he bounces back 100%. His life story during the bowl game was pretty interesting.
He’s still will be a day 1 pick. Same with Jameson from Bama
Nah. He won’t be picked in the 1st. This is gonna cost him a ton of money. It sucks.
Bet he still goes in the second. Might be too deep an edge class for him to go in the first with such a serious injury this late (Jameson Williams should be available for a late season push, at least), but I bet he still goes in the second. Too much upside to fall to the middle rounds.
Maybe. But once you lose that 5th year of control for first rounders, his value drops off significantly.
After the first round, not that many guys are starting most of year one anyway. Someone will take the swing on someone who has more high end starter potential at a premium position.
ACL injuries have a higher rate of return back to 100% than Achilles injuries.
Even though both had serious late season injuries they carry different risks.
I get that. But once you get to the second round, you might say Ojabo post Achilles tear has better odds of delivering high end play for you than a healthier prospect with less in the way of traits and/or production, like a Bonito or Drake Jackson or whoever you might be eyeing.
Not really. The achilles is long, thick tendon. Much bigger than those knee tendons like MCL and ACL. Restretching this back to pre-injury levels takes time.
Here is an article I found. The study involved 95 NFL players who tore their Achilles. 28% never returned from injury.
“Compared with players who underwent an Achilles tendon repair, controls had a significantly longer NFL career. After surgery, no significant difference was seen in games per season in subsequent seasons compared with patients in the control group.
Running backs and linebackers had significantly worse postoperative performance scores compared with preoperative scores. Linebackers had significantly worse postoperative performance vs. controls.”
Ojabo’s major asset is speed and explosiveness. If you slow him down even a little bit it levels out his playing field and makes him less effective.
Broken bones and ACL tears are very fixable and easier to return back to near 100%. Achilles is a different animal.
He’s also a bendy 6’5 with moves. Like I said, people might like his traits with the injury risk more than they like some healthier guys with risks of their traits and skills being insufficient to ever make a major impact. I’m not saying he’d go over Hutch, Thibodeaux, Walker, Karlaftis, Johnson, etc. I’m saying he still might go ahead of Jackson, Bonito, Sanders, etc. He’s more of a gamble now, but the upside will still be tempting in round two.
Different type of injuries.
By 32, there won’t be a qb worth a first round pick. Detroit will take him there.
1st round to Steelers at #20
3rd round, maybe. But I don’t see him getting past the Giants at pick #67 (third pick of the 3rd round). They’re not going to be good and have the luxury of drafting a rehabbing player and letting him sit out the season. Helps with the tank, too.
But in all honesty, even with the injury, I’d still be surprised if he didn’t get picked by the early to mid-2nd. He was projected on a lot of boards to go top ten.
Sounds like the Ravens grab him at a bargain price at some point this draft.
The Ravens or any of the other 29 teams could make a splash here
31* team sorry had baseball on the brain
Cam Akers recovery should not be used as an expected timeline.
We also don’t know yet whether Akers will ever regain his form – as his 2.4 yards/carry average after his return doesn’t inspire confidence.
Man that sucks. Hopefully he can recover quickly.
2nd round pick more likely similar to Sidney Jones.
Achilles injuries are more riskier than a torn ACL ligament.
Ojabo’s game is speed and explosion around the edge. The Achilles tears are tougher to come back 100% from and could impact his future explosion.
Yes, and I fully expect Howie to grab him for Philly in the 2nd round and store him as “redshirt year”. We’ll hear how he was a bargain at that slot and then never really return to form as his career never takes off.
100% correct. It’s the worst injury for an athlete relying on explosiveness. He’s not going 1st or 2nd round. 3rd round pick now. Maybe a playoff team at the end of the 2nd round but not a rebuilding team.
raiders
I really hope he drops to us in the third
If i was him id pull myself from the draft and go back for my senior year. Recover from this injury, go out and put up a big season and then go to the NFL. He was a no doubt first round pick, now he will be lucky to go in the 4th. If he can rebound and have a huge season then he will be a 1st round pick next year
There’s no guarantee he’d play at all this year in college, and if he did, he probably would not be as good as he was last year. He could go back, play, look bad, and then end up as a 4th rounder.
No way he drops to the 4th round. At worst someone with extra picks in the 2nd will take him. Similar to what happened to Jaylon Smith and Myles Jack who went in the 2nd round.
Jaylon Smith is a horrible example because he flamed out because of nerve damage. And Jack had a meniscus tear.
This is an achilles injury to a guy that relies on explosiveness. The risk calculus is gonna make this guy drop. Sad.
Hell end up on a much better team at the end of the 1st now but cost him millions in guaranteed money.
Hopefully he bought an insurance policy that pays him the difference between his projected draft position and where he gets drafted. I feel awful for him. All that hard work, top 15-20 pick.
An idea pick Jets 2nd round Darnold trade pick from Panthers