One of the top prospects in this year’s class won’t be participating in the Scouting Combine, creating some big questions at the top of the 2017 NFL Draft.
According to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, Ohio State safety Malik Hooker had surgeries (plural) to repair a torn labrum and a hernia Tuesday, and won’t be ready to work out for scouts in early March.
Hooker played through the injuries last year, and had a standout season for the Buckeyes. He’s likely still a Top 10 pick, though this will complicate the process for teams during the medical portion of the evaluation.
Hooker only started one year in college, but he’s already drawing comparisons to some of the great safeties of recent years (not that every prospect doesn’t get over-compared to stars this time of year).