reggie ragland.jpg

Buffalo Bills linebacker Reggie Ragland hits the field for practice at training camp in Pittsford, N.Y., on Aug. 1, 2016.

(AP Photo)

After selecting linebacker Reggie Ragland out of Alabama in the second round of the NFL Draft in April, the Buffalo Bills penciled the rookie into their starting lineup.

But on Aug. 5, Ragland went down during an 11-on-11 drill at the Bills' training camp at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, N.Y. He had torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Buffalo put Ragland on injured reserve, and he underwent reconstruction surgery later in the month.

Now Ragland is on the mend and looking forward to the next NFL season.

"Right now, my knee is feeling great," Ragland said in a "Beyond Red and Blue" report for the Bills' official web site. "I'm in great spirits. It's a day-by-day process."

Reggie Ragland went from the Draft stage, to the NFL​ stage, to an injury that ended his rookie year.



And now, he's on the comeback trail. pic.twitter.com/3TW4LAaIM3 — Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) October 18, 2016

Ragland said he wants to "make sure I come back even stronger" to pursue his 2016 goals in 2017.

"I think I'll get the chance next year to become Rookie of the Year," Ragland said. "That was my main goal this year. I felt like I was going to do it, too."

Ragland is focused and upbeat now. But he said the injury was hard to deal with when it happened.

"Probably the first week and a half, two weeks is probably the worst times I've ever felt in my life," Ragland said. "Worked my whole life to get here. Sacrificed so much. And then for that to happen. ...

"There's a reason why this happened. I hate that it happened. But God makes no mistakes."

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Ragland was a three-time All-State selection for Bob Jones - as a tight end in 2009 and as a linebacker in 2010 and 2011. As a senior, Ragland was an Under Armour All-American and the Class 6A Lineman of the Year as a senior.

At Alabama, Ragland received consensus All-American recognition and earned the SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award in the 2015 season for Alabama's CFP national-championship team.