Vikings draft lineman who was hit by truck ... and walked away

Mike Garafolo, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

It's often said a football player is so physical he hits like a truck.

Travis Bond will be the judge of that.

The former North Carolina offensive lineman, who was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round Saturday, impressed teams with his size (6-6, 329 pounds) and surprisingly good workouts this spring.

Yet nothing has been wowing team scouts, doctors and trainers more than the story behind a wrist injury he suffered last year. Bond was hit by an SUV. And he got right back up.

Now, that indicates toughness.

"It should!" Bond told USA TODAY Sports, chuckling as he retold the story. "Anybody who can walk away from that, drive his scooter and laugh about it, that's pretty intense."

Here's how it went down, according to Bond, with his rundown of events backed up by a police report after the hit-and-run incident.

Bond was riding his scooter on campus when he noticed what he termed "a Ford Explorer-type truck" driving on the wrong side of the road about 150 yards ahead of him. Bond said he was wary of the vehicle until it swerved back into the proper lane on the two-way street. But just as he and the vehicle crossed the intersection, the SUV cut back into his path.

Bond was wearing his helmet, which was fortunate for him because his head and body slammed into the hood of the car. He bounced off, landed on the ground and looked up in a state of shock to see a carful of passengers looking at him. Bond said he noticed two dents – one on the fender and one on the hood roughly the size of his upper body.

The SUV sped off and left the scene. The driver has yet to be found and has not come forward.

The police report estimated the SUV was traveling at 10 mph, but Bond strongly disputes that figure and says it was coming at him at more than double that rate, because he said he was thrown into the air when he bounced off the car.

"I got up and was like, 'I really got hit by a truck,' " Bond recalled. "I was telling my friends about it. And they made me go to the hospital. I never would've gone to the hospital."

There, he took an X-ray that didn't reveal much damage to his wrist. Two weeks later, he still felt discomfort and it was discovered he had dislocated the joint. Doctors examining his medical history at the NFL scouting combine in February were impressed upon hearing the story behind his wrist injury, which required surgery once spring practices were done.

"They were actually saying that's pretty intense and were like, 'How did you walk away with only a wrist injury?' " Bond said. "I told them, 'I don't know. A lot of cushion, I guess. I'm a big boy.' "

Of course, there's more to playing in the NFL than taking on collisions. It's about athleticism, toughness and desire.

Scouting reports questioned Bond in some of those areas, noting that he blew up to 375 pounds at one point. Bond said that had to do with the fact he had knee surgery one offseason and was told to limit his workouts all summer. At the combine, he weighed 329 pounds. Bond had a decent combine and a good workout at his pro day in March. He worked out for the Vikings, Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions.

Bond will have to work on keeping that big frame lower to the ground while blocking at the next level.

"When I think about it, it's really about all this hard work you put into it," Bond said. "Studying the playbook, going to practice, this is what it all comes down to. Playing for the big league."

At the very least, we know he'll be able to take a hit.

Follow Mike Garafolo on Twitter @MikeGarafolo