Former Michigan defensive lineman Rashan Gary’s ranking in this year’s draft class has varied quite a bit from pundit to pundit.
Gary’s physical tools made him a top recruit out of high school and continue to intrigue scouts, but his production in college wasn’t at a level equal to that potential. That leads to different ideas about how he’ll fare in the NFL and there’s reportedly an injury to factor into any evaluation.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Gary has a labral tear in his shoulder that dates back to college. The feeling reportedly is that Gary can play with the injury as a rookie before potentially having surgery, but that he’d need to play with a harness and/or otherwise manage the shoulder to get through the year.
Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson came into the draft with a similar injury in 2016 and the word after he was taken in the first round was that he’d be able to play through it. He wound up having surgery in May after aggravating the injury, however, and missed the first half of the season as a result.
By the end of the week, we’ll know which team is rolling the dice that things will play out differently for Gary.