Chase Winovich has been doing everything he can to show NFL scouts that his production at the University of Michigan can translate to the NFL level and that’s meant putting off a medical procedure.
Winovich has known for some time that he needs to have thumb surgery, but wanted to participate in the combine and the school’s Pro Day before having the operation. The Pro Day went off without a hitch last week and Winovich will now have the surgery.
He’s expected to need two months to recover, so the hope is that he’ll be able to take part in OTAs and the final minicamp of the offseason program. Where he’ll be playing in the country and on the defense both remain unknown as Winovich has worked out as both a linebacker and defensive end to show his versatility.
“I don’t want to say [it’s] 50-50, but I’m pretty much getting the whole gambit,” Winovich said, via MLive.com. “The whole spectrum. I’m getting teams that run a 4-3 and they love me. They have guys on their team they compare me to. They think I’m more athletic than their guy, one team said. I’ve had a lot of 3-4 teams just love me. It’s been good.”
Winovich had 43 tackles for loss and 18.5 sacks at Michigan and posted a 4.59 40-yard dash at the Combine in a bid to show teams he’s more than a “try-hard white guy.” Predictions tend to have Winovich off the board on the second day of the draft and it seems unlikely the thumb issue will affect that too much.