Well, 3. Mykel Williams played through injury during the season.
Medical rechecks are a big component of pre-draft visits. NFL teams are looking to tie up loose ends, and oftentimes, it’s injury-related.
Let’s talk about some prospects and any potential injury concerns on the week of the draft. The San Francisco 49ers have met with each prospect listed.
CB Will Johnson – Michigan
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer:
“Johnson has a knee issue that’s been flagged. It shouldn’t affect him in the short term, but teams are concerned it could impact his longevity. Add to the questions on Johnson’s long speed, which were not allayed when he decided not to run a 40, and the Wolverine star could slide.”
Robert Saleh needs his Richard Sherman or Sauce Gardner at cornerback. Johnson has the skillset to excel in the NFL, but any inury-related concerns would make it easy to stay away from a player who you have evenly graded with a prospect who wasn’t red-flagged.
DL Mykel Williams – Georgia
From Breer:
Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams had just a so-so workout last week and told teams he wasn’t at his best because an ankle injury from the fall hampered him a little.
The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman wrote an article where a defensive line coach praised Williams after playing through injury last year:
“I think he will have a better career than Jalon or Abdul,” said DL coach No. 1. “He’s physical as f—. He played hurt this year — he didn’t care. Pullers come at him — he intends on f—ing them up. Guys I know at Georgia told me he’s gonna be better than Travon Walker, and I think Walker is a baller. Overall, I think he’s better than all of ’em.”
Unlike the other players you’ll read about, this should be viewed as a positive for Williams. Many believe his best football is yet to come. Williams is still a puppy, and in his defense, played in a defense that is surprisingly passive and vanilla considering the talent they have on that side of the ball.
LT Josh Simmons – Ohio State
Beer said Simmons likely won’t be cleared to practice until after training camp starts:
Simmons tore his patellar tendon in October, and that’s a tough injury for a big man to return from. He went through the combine re-check in mid-April, and the impression teams have gotten is that it’ll be August before he’s fully cleared to play football.
Simmons is an incredible athlete that comes with a significant risk. How long will it take for him to regain the athleticism that made him look like a top 10 pick before injury? Will he ever regain his elite status as an athlete? Perhaps Simmons will take a few months to shake off the rust and return to dominating the competition, even as a pro. His ceiling is sky high, but history is against him.
DTs Derrick Harmon (Oregon) and Alfred Collins (Texas)
During a recent interview with Dallas Cowboy’s reporter Jeff Cavanaugh, draft analyst and former scout bryan Broaddus said:
“I’m getting some medical information about [Texas DL Alfred Collins] that might not be great. That might cause a coule guys to slide. Maybe him. Maybe Harmon from Oregon. Maybe a couple sliders there.”
Understandably, Broaddus could not get into specifics about either injury. He finished up with, “If you see Collins, Texas defensive tackle, and Harmon, defensive tackle Oregon, start to slide a little bit, you’ll know why.”
Collins was wearing a walking boot at Texas’s pro day. Collins only missed one game due to injury at Texas.
John Lynch and the 49ers brass were in Eugene, Oregon for the Ducks’ Pro Day. You have to think they were prying and trying to uncover any detail about Harmon they could find. There isn’t a scouting report or draft guide on the internet that has any information about Harmon’s potential injury. He was durable at Michigan State and Oregon. There’s a chance he was flagged during the NFL Combine for some type of predisposed injury during imaging — sometimes that can be related to the spine or cartilage issues.