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2015 NFL Draft: Texas A&M OT Cedric Ogbuehi Has A Torn ACL

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By @bradberreman24

Cedric Ogbuehi, NFL Draft, Texas A&M, 2015 NFL Draft

Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports

Texas A&M offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi came back for his senior season in 2014, and it looked like an unwise decision as he struggled to make the transition from right to left tackle early in the season. Now his draft stock has taken another hit, with Yahoo’s Rand Getlin reporting on Monday that Ogbuehi suffered a torn ACL during the Aggies’ win over West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl.

Getlin went on to report that Ogbuehi will have surgery soon and he is expected to be ready for training camp, but he will now certainly fall down draft boards after being projected as a potential first-round pick at this early stage.

Ogbuehi had been slated to participate in next week’s Senior Bowl, and he could have started to boost his stock back up with a good showing. But he will now obviously not be able to participate in workouts at the NFL Combine or Texas A&M’s Pro Day as well, so teams will be left to evaluate Ogbuehi with the discrepancy in his play from his junior and senior seasons firmly in mind.

Ogbuehi has the build (6’5″, 300 lbs.), athleticism and skill set befitting an NFL left tackle, and a torn ACL does not have to derail his career. The 2014 draft provides us with a couple of test cases for how an ACL tear at a fairly late stage impacted someone’s draft stock.

Defensive tackle Dominique Easley suffered a torn ACL during his final season at Florida, but was still taken in the first round (29th overall) last May, while Clemson offensive lineman Brandon Thomas was injured in a pre-draft workout with a team and fell to the third round (100th overall).

I see Ogbuehi going off the board in the second round now, due in part to this year’s group of offensive tackle prospects not having many clear standouts. But his surgically-repaired knee will definitely be examined thoroughly by the doctors of any teams that have interest in drafting him, and he will obviously have to avoid setbacks in his recovery.

Ogbuehi may effectively have a redshirt rookie season in 2015, but I think he will put together a solid career once he is back at full strength. Even if he is ultimately deemed to be a better fit as a right tackle, look for Ogbuehi to play double-digit NFL seasons and earn multiple Pro Bowl nods.

Brad Berreman is a Columnist and Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Connect with him on Twitter or Google +. 

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