It’s going to take at least a year for Herzlich to get back to full stength. If there’s a team that can afford to wait on that they should jump on him as a rookie free agent.
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I agree with what you said in the first part, about it taking time for him to get back to full strength.

However, there are at least 2 players that come to mind immediately who were drafted that are in the same situation as Herzlich: Bruce Carter and Greg Romeus. During the draft, the people on NFL Network were basically saying that both players were drafted for next season because they would likely contribute nothing or next-to-nothing this season because of coming back from injuries. Carter was taken in the 2nd and Romeus in the 7th. Carter was probably rated higher than Herzlich pre-injury, but Romeus and Herzlich were probably pretty closely rated to each other, maybe Herzlich a little higher.

Now, why would a team draft Carter and Romeus, knowing that this year is basically gone, but they have them controlled for the following year when they might come back to full strength, yet all the teams ignore Herzlich in the same regard, and now have to compete with each other to try to sign him instead of drafting him in the 7th like Romeus and controlling his rights? By doing that, it would eliminate any possibility of another team swooping in and signing him as an UDFA away from a team that has interest.

I just don’t understand how, out of all of the high profile and highly ranked players with injury concerns, Herzlich was the only one not to get drafted.

This guy is a stud and bonafide LB…

This is a business we’re talking about. Sympathy doesn’t enter into the equation here. If some team thinks he can play, he’ll be signed as a free agent.

Whatever he ends up doing, with his attitude, he’ll be fine wherever he goes in life.

I think him not getting drafted is only going to help his chance in sticking on a roster.
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Ordinarily, I would absolutely agree with you. But with the current situation, who knows when the signing period for undrafted free agents will start? If the lockout drags on, it could seriously effect the ability of players like him.

With a shortened period of time to evaluate these kids, teams will be more likely to focus on established players at cut down time because they just won’t have had enough time and film to make decisions on unproven players.

Undrafted free agents who will come in as long shots to make rosters in the first place and need every possible opportunity to impress the coaching staff. Every OTA and mini-camp missed is a huge blow to these guys chances of having an NFL career.

I think him not getting drafted is only going to help his chance in sticking on a roster.

Da’Quan Bowers, Adrian Clayborn, Bruce Carter, Marcus Cannon, Robert Quinn, etc…

And Mark Herzlich.

Why is it that Herzlich was the only one to go undrafted?

Some people were saying that Bowers’ knee condition is so bad that he may not play beyond the first contract, he will likely not be able to practice a lot, etc. (2nd round)

Some are saying that Bruce Carter may not even play this year at all. Even if he does, it may not be for just a handful of games at the end of the season. (2nd round)

Some questioned the strength of Adrian Clayborn’s arm due to a condition that might affect his ability to rush the passer. Not sure if there were any long-term ramifications of this condition, but I personally did not read any of that. (1st round)

Marcus Cannon was diagnosed with a treatable form of cancer, but I cannot believe that he isn’t going to have issues with strength and conditioning while undergoing treatment, and there still exists the possibility of a recurrence in the future. (5th round)

Some people were fearful of a tumor or cancerous growth in Robert Quinn’s brain (I believe that was the specific issue). (1st round)

Mark Herzlich overcame the cancer before last year, proved that he could still play even with the rod in his leg. Perhaps he would have to work to regain complete strength in that leg over time, but he is already more than a year removed from the beginning of that process, and probably could have played a limited amount of snaps as a backup until fully recovered and then fought for a starting job. (Undrafted)

I would say, before the injury and strength concerns, Herzlich was probably as highly rated as any of the above players, at worst a 2nd round prospect.

Again, why was Herzlich the only one undrafted?

I’d still love to see a Herzlich Patriots jersey. . .