APBad performances at the combine can hurt someone’s draft stock, but so can bad luck.
A league source tells Mike Florio of PFT that Iowa State linebacker A.J. Klein suffered a “serious knee injury” during drills at the NFL’s Scouting Combine on Monday.
The tough break comes after Klein turned in a 4.66 40-yard dash that made a good case for the inside linebacker’s athleticism. Klein was the co-defensive player of the year in the Big 12 in 2012, but there were doubts about how well his skills would translate to the NFL. A good 40 doesn’t answer those doubts altogether, but it’s better than the alternative.
Those questions are secondary, though, if Klein’s injury turns out to be as severe as reported.
UPDATE 4:49 p.m. ET: It sounds like the news is better than originally feared. Klein tweeted out that he avoided a serious injury and will finish up his workouts at a pro day on March 26.
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“Next man up!”.
Sad to hear about a situation like this one. I have never thought about something along these lines. Does anyone know if many or most athletes at the combine can and do insure themselves prior to attending, to prepare for just such a circumstance? I wonder if this will make future draft picks shy away from the combine, and instead tell prospective teams to simply check the tapes of the draftee’s games?
Insurance?
Hope so.
Okay, I guess my day today wasn’t really all that bad after all.
Maybe this guy will slip to the Lions with a 4th round supplemental pick. I like his game. He doesn’t get much hype but he’s a good player.
Good news that the injury wasn’t too bad.
During the drill, after getting up after tripping on a cut back, he went down again but got up, albeit slowly, and walked off.
This a big time for these young men. Glad he lives to fight another day.