Unfortunate news.
David Ojabo, who has commonly been linked to the Philadelphia Eagles in mock drafts, suffered an injury at Michigan’s pro day on Friday. This bad news comes via multiple reports:
Michigan LB David OJabo, an expected first-round pick next month, just got hurt at Michigan’s pro day and limped off the field with the help of trainers, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 18, 2022
A scary sight at @UMichFootball pro day. Edge rusher David Ojabo sustained injury in pass rush drill. Went down clutching left leg. Not sure if ankle or leg but he had to helped off field. pic.twitter.com/moL8FmbYb0
— Jeffri Chadiha (@jeffrichadiha) March 18, 2022
Not good. Hopefully it’s less serious than it seems.
The full extent of Ojabo’s injury will be worth monitoring. In the meantime, Eagles fans will wonder how this development impacts their favorite team.
Philadelphia entered the offseason with a big need at edge rusher. They’ve already signed Haason Reddick to a three-year contract, which is a good addition for them. But the Birds could still afford to add more pass-rushing talent in the 2022 NFL Draft. With George Karlaftis and/or Jermaine Johnson II potentially available to them, the Eagles still might be able to add another young defensive end. But Ojabo’s injury could thin the pool of their first-round options.
As Eagles fans are well-aware, Ojabo is not the first highly-touted draft prospect to suffer a significant injury at his pro day. The Eagles took Sidney Jones with a second-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft after he tore his Achilles at his pro day. That risk did not pan out for Howie Roseman as Jones struggled to stay healthy and play well in Philly.
It remains to be seen if the Eagles would be willing to take a similar risk if Ojabo falls to their pick in the second round. Or if he’ll even fall that far since we don’t yet know the full scope of the injury.
One can only hope he recovers sooner than later.