Auburn LB Owen Pappoe has torn labrum and will miss the Senior Bowl, expected to be full participant in NFL Combine

Former Auburn linebacker Owen Pappoe is busy working towards making his NFL dreams come true this offseason in preparation for the 2023 NFL Draft. He’ll have to put his workouts and preparation on hold for a few weeks, unfortunately. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Pappoe has been diagnosed with what is known as a “SLAP tear” in his labrum and he will miss the 2023 Senior Bowl. He will not need surgery, but doctors have advised him that he could further injure the shoulder if he played in the Senior Bowl. Pappoe is still expected to be a full participant at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine and the Auburn Pro Day drills.

Pappoe ranked as the No. 14 overall player and the No. 2 linebacker in the 2019 class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. He ended his college career with 256 tackles (15 for loss), eight sacks, two interceptions, seven passes defended and three forced fumbles. Pappoe was one of the most dominant linebackers to ever suit up on The Plains and he’s got the stats to prove it. In 2022, he was named as one of 15 semifinalists for the Butkus Award–given to the nation’s top linebacker.

Owen Pappoe projects to be a second or third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, which will begin on April 27. Until then, he’ll hope to improve his draft stock at the NFL Scouting Combine and the Auburn Pro Day.

Pappoe should be ready for the NFL Combine and other drills leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft

The 2023 NFL Draft is set to take place from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The event will be held at the plaza just outside of Union Station.

Round 1 of the NFL Draft is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft will be broadcasted throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.

To be eligible for the NFL Draft, players must be at least three years removed from their final year of high school while having used up their collegiate eligibility. Underclassmen are able to request league approval to become eligible for the draft, as are players who have graduated prior to using up all of their collegiate eligibility. 100 underclassmen were approved for last year’s draft. 73 of those 100 underclassmen were granted special eligibility while 27 of them were underclassmen who had completed their college degrees.

The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine will take place from Feb. 28 through March 6 in Indianapolis.

On3’s Chandler Vessels also contributed to this article.