When the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft takes place Thursday night, many expect to hear the name of Pitt offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings called by commissioner Roger Goodell.
However an injury that Clemmings didn’t even know about could result in Clemmings falling out of the first round altogether.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Clemmings has a stress fracture in his foot.
The injury showed up during Clemmings’ medical exam at the NFL Scouting Combine. However Clemmings’ agent Mike McCartney said the injury causes Clemmings no pain and that he never has had to do any rehab on his foot.
However given the way teams view injuries coming into the draft, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Clemmings move down on some team’s draft boards.
Clemmings, viewed by many as the offensive tackle with the most upside in the draft, had played only two years on the offensive line while at Pitt, making the switch during his junior season from the defensive line.
He is by far Pitt’s highest rated prospect heading into the draft as Clemmings is probably the most athletic offensive tackle on the board and has a nasty streak to him that results in him finishing blocks, especially in terms of run blocking.
It will be interesting to see whether the injury knocks Clemmings out of the first round, but regardless of whether his name is called Thursday or Friday, some team is going to get a very solid player when they decide to invest in Clemmings.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
