Michigan Football: How David Ojabo’s injury will impact his draft stock

David Ojabo suffered a freak injury during Michigan football’s pro day. His torn Achilles is expected to heal in six months, so where will he be drafted? 

I’ve always said that injuries are the worst thing about sports and nothing is worse than an injury that happens in a non-contact setting, which is what happened to David Ojabo at Michigan football’s pro day this week.

Ojabo was working out on Friday for NFL scouts along with a number of other Michigan football players and while we don’t know exactly what happened, he suffered a torn Achilles.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed the injury on Saturday. The good news is that Ojabo is expected to make a full recovery and another NFL player with a similar injury recovered in six months.

Where David Ojabo might get selected

Since we are still in March, that would make the timeline sometime around September. It would be a stretch to expect Ojabo to be ready by fall camp but it’s not like this injury is going to ruin his career. He’ll be back on his feet and hopefully, there won’t be any lingering effects.

You can never say for sure, but Ojabo is young and he’s an incredible athlete, so he should be fine. But how much will teams devalue him in this year’s draft because of it?

Ojabo was being projected by many as a top-10 pick and with his ability on the edge, plus his speed, it was hard to see him lasting longer than 10-15 picks.

Now, the question is whether or not he’ll make it out of the first round?

Others have gone into the NFL draft with similar injuries and while their draft stock was usually hurt, it hasn’t prevented guys like Willis McGahee and Jaylon Smith from going in the first two rounds.

Ojabo plays a premier position and the fact is, many teams at the end of the first round might not be willing to pass on a talent like that. That’s why I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Ojabo still winds up getting picked in the first round.

The former Michigan football standout is definitely going to drop just because his impact won’t be as immediate and there will be questions about his health. Yet, his talent is generational and that will be enough to get him picked late in the first round or early in the second.