Every year, the medical status of certain players affects when they are selected in the NFL Draft. So each year, we compile and discuss the top draft medical issues.

The analysis below is based on available public information melded with my insider knowledge from 20 years of examining players at the NFL Combine.

I have not reached out to any of my NFL colleagues for insider information. Not all teams/doctors will agree, much like how general managers rank talent and intangibles differently. I have not examined any of these players. If I had, I would not be able to comment.


Here is a comprehensive analysis of the 2019 draft’s medical issues (for now, as information surrounding the draft is always fluid).

Nick Bosa (edge rusher, Ohio State) had a groin injury and subsequent core muscle surgery (a variant of sports hernia/athletic pubalgia). He should be selected near the very top of the draft and there should be very little medical concern, if any. His September surgery gives him plenty of time to be 100 percent already. I know he chose to quit school and focus on the draft, but by strict medical timeline, he even could have played in his bowl game. (Again, I have not examined him.) Additionally, when surgery is done, the other side is also fixed even if it didn’t have any symptoms. Due to the high chance of recurrence on the other side, the procedure helps ensure the team spending a pick at the top of the draft should not run into this issue again.

Marquise Brown (wide receiver, Oklahoma) is projected to be picked in the top half of the first round pick. Brown had Lisfranc surgery on his foot in January and was in a boot for the Combine and his pro day. He injured his mid-foot in the Big 12 title game and choose to try and play in the Orange Bowl with minimal success. He had no catches on five targets with two drops and was pulled in the second half. Kudos to him for attempting to play in the bowl game when his foot was clearly subpar. However, it also indicates it wasn’t a full mid-foot fracture/dislocation injury, as that would have made it impossible to even try. This bodes well for his NFL future. Much will depend on the findings from the medical rechecks, but I anticipate that he has a reasonable chance to return to his same form. Assuming a team is comfortable with how the doctor’s report projects from two weeks ago and the fact he will miss the offseason program, his draft stock should not take a significant hit. Brown has a good chance to be ready for training camp. Once fully recovered, there is little chance of re-injury. But he could develop arthritis in his mid-foot area in the long run.


Montez Sweat (defensive end, Mississippi State) set a record in the 40-yard dash despite a heart condition that evidently has some teams troubled. His heart issue is covered here.

Jeffery Simmons (defensive lineman, Mississippi State) announced he tore his ACL in February doing position drills in preparation for the draft. Unfortunately, after surgery, this means his rookie season will be a medical redshirt. The hope and expectation is for an isolated ACL tear without associated cartilage damage, which bodes well after recovery. His first round draft status is in jeopardy unless a playoff-caliber team is prepared to stash him for the future and wants to control him for the extra year that first round picks are subject to.

Jerry Tillery (defensive lineman, Notre Dame) underwent surgery on March 6 to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. This procedure is performed to prevent instability of the shoulder, and he likely payed with a harness/strap to keep the joint from subluxing/dislocating. Long term, there should not be much worry. However, the quoted 3-4 month recovery timeline is undoubtedly provided by the agent and is a tad optimistic. To return to full form takes 4-6 months — and sometimes longer. This means Tillery will miss the offseason and could be NFI (non-football injury, because it happened outside the NFL) to start training camp. It will be a tight timeline to have him 100 percent ready for the start of the season, and he may be behind in learning the scheme due to lost practice time. Certainly, he will be drafted near where his projections are, but given a choice between two players with similar talent, a team may choose the healthier player.


DK Metcalf (wide receiver, Mississippi State) wowed the nation with his shredded appearance and 1.6% body fat that we indicated, if true, was unsustainable to actually play football but could also be a measurement inaccuracy. Either way, the low body fat is easily corrected and shouldn’t be an issue. However there are questions about his neck, which required surgery and caused him to miss the second half of the 2018 season. In reviewing the video, Metcalf does not suffer a catastrophic neck fracture. He likely has a fusion at one level to treat disc herniation and/or ligamentous instability. Many players have continued their career from a single level fusion surgery. This does put increased stress on the level above and below, but in and of itself does not preclude football or amount to much of a medical downgrade. If he needed a second level fused, that indeed would jeopardize his career. He should be well healed by now. He also had a foot injury as a freshman, though there is not much information regarding that injury. The bigger issue might not be medical but his poor performance on agility drills compared to his measurable, which were off the charts.

Rashan Gary (defensive end, Michigan) has a shoulder issue, but information has been sketchy. Other than an announcement once from his mom, not much has been released. Gary was reported to have undergone shoulder surgery last year and missed some time in the 2018 campaign. Some teams have medical red flags, according to Jason LaConfora. This is a case where Gary’s Combine medical exam will be all-important. Despite a report of some teams downgrading Gary, I don’t see how any shoulder injury he has would keep him from being drafted, though where he will be selected is the question.

Update: Some clarification came from Ian Rapaport.

It is possible to play with the injury as Demarcus Lawrence did. However, surgery is eventually needed. Playing with a harness is never 100 percent effective and not sustainable for very long. Ezekial Ansah’s 2018 season with the Lions was marred by a labral tear. Shaq Lawson was drafted in the first round of 2016 by the Bills with a similar issue, aggravated the injury immediately in workouts with Buffalo, had surgery and started his rookie season on PUP. This will affect Gary’s draft status. How much depends on the size, location and exam of his labral tear.

Deebo Samuel (wide revceiver, South Carolina) finally had a healthy collegiate season his senior year, but injuries during his first three years have some concerned. His first two seasons were marred by hamstring issues. Then in his junior campaign, he broke his fibula. The ankle will be fine. The question is whether he will be a chronic hamstring risk. If on exam his hamstrings and hips are tight, that might be a harbinger of future problems. As a smaller receiver, he will need all his speed/quickness. My assumption is the quality medical staff at his school was on top of this and worked with Samuel to get and stay flexible. He did, indeed, have a healthy final season.


Bryce Love (running back, Stanford) has ACL surgery in December. Information on his progress — or relative lack therof — is here.

Yodny Cajuste (offensive lineman, West Virginia) reportedly had surgery on his quad. Although reported as A muscle repair, it is likely a suturing on a quad tendon issue, as true muscle injuries are not operated on. The reported three-month timeline seems optimistic. The once potential first-round pick will likely slide into the second day of the draft. From afar, it seems unrealistic that he would be ready for the start of training camp or even the season. Given the intricacies of protection schemes, this puts him at a disadvantage that will likely cost him.

Alex Bars (offensive lineman, Notre Dame) tore his ACL/MCL in September. The silver lining to his injury is that it happened early enough that he has a reasonable chance to be ready for the start of the season and the MCL typically does not surgery. Further, it is easier for an offensive lineman to return after ACL reconstruction than other positions, as they mostly perform in a confined space versus an open field. Assuming his medical checks went well, he would only be a small risk for the team drafting him.

Felton Davis (wide receiver, Michigan State) suffered an Achilles tendon rupture in October. Medically, he projects to be ready for the start of the season but has more upside in his second year. With the Achilles getting stronger over time, missing offseason work and the transition to a higher level, don’t give up on Davis if he struggles in year one. The Achilles injury should not interfere with his NFL career in the long run, except that he has a higher chance to tear the opposite side.


Rodney Anderson (running back, Oklahoma) tore his ACL in Week 1 of his final college season. He told Alex Marvez on SiriusXM NFL radio that he expects to be ready for Week 1 of his rookie NFL campaign. Indeed, the September injury gives him a good chance to do so. However, in my experience, it is easier for an established NFL back to return the following season than for a college player to recover from this injury while adapting to a higher level of play. The other issue for Anderson is he has had three season-ending injuries in college, including a broken leg in 2015 and a fractured vertebra in his neck in ‘16. I don’t like the term injury prone, as his previous injuries are not necessarily a harbinger of future injuries. But teams will be wary, especially when running backs can be found in later rounds.

Emanuel Hall (wide receiver, Missouri) is reported to have recurrent groin issues, and that often means a sports hernia. He was reportedly 80-90 percent at Combines and had limited workouts. He may need core muscle repair surgery, but he could have surgery after the draft and still be ready for training camp and the season. If I were still with a team, I might advise the contrarian approach. If he performed well with the sports hernia, he should do even better after the repair. A progressive thinking team may pick up a bargain and get his surgery done immediately to have him 100 percent for the 2019 season.

Blessuan Austin (cornerback, Rutgers) had a second ACL tear last season. This is likely to cost him in the draft, even though it was an early-season injury. First, it seems to be a second injury to the same knee, which adds risk for a third tear plus cartilage damage. Second, it is harder for a defensive back, who has to react to plays, to return early from ACL surgery. I hope his medical exam is solid, but even if it is, his history will likely cause him to be drafted significantly lower than pre-injury projections.

Christian Miller (linebacker, Alabama) missed the national title game with a hamstring injury, but that is behind him and Miller is not a medical risk for the draft. A previous biceps injury should also be a non-factor.


Porter Gustin (edge rusher, USC) broke his ankle and had surgery last year. He has already recovered well enough to wow at the Combine. I do not believe his ankle will affect his draft stock, and he should be ready for his new team’s offseason program.

Taylor Rapp (safety, Washington) injured his hip in the Pac-12 Championship game and missed the Rose Bowl. Hip injuries can be concerning, but this was not to his hip joint. Rather, it was a hip flexor muscle injury, and those should recover well without issue. Unless something surprising appeared on his medical exam at the Combine, I do not expect the hip issue to affect his draft stock. He performed well at the Combine and his pro day. There are reportedly some questions about his 40 time, but that does not seem related to the hip flexor.