Mel Kiper Jr. reveals how David Ojabo's injury affects his draft status

Heartbreaking news came out of the Michigan Wolverines‘ Pro Day, with defensive end and projected first-round NFL draft pick David Ojabo tearing his Achilles. After creating one of the best one-two punches in the country with Aidan Hutchinson in Ann Arbor, both were projected to be highly drafted.

Now, Ajabo could be sliding down some draft boards.

According to ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper, Ajabo could fall into Day Two of the draft — somewhere in the middle of the second round. Kiper explained how he wanted to put the Michigan man at the very end of the first round but based on talking to teams, replaced him with a fellow Big Ten pass rusher.

“Moves him into the second round, potentially,” Kiper said. “I thought Kansas City and I had him in Kansas City before I switched to (George) Karlaftis because they could feel like, ‘hey there’s no way he’s going to be there unless the injury occurred. We were never going to see a pass rusher. We’re in the AFC, got to get after these quarterbacks even in their division.’ But I still went with my intel which said second round, put Karlaftis. Ojabo would have been a mid-first-rounder had it not been for the injury. He definitely goes, I believe early to mid-second round.”

Ojabo finished with 11 sacks and 12 tackles for a loss this season, propelling Michigan into the College Football Playoff. Being such a heavy draft with pass rushers, Ojabo somewhere in the first round would have been a steal for a team. Even with the injury, getting somebody with the talent of the former Wolverines player would be considered a big win.

David Ojabo tears Achilles at Michigan Pro Day

When David Ojabo went down with an injury at Michigan‘s Pro Day, NFL and Wolverines fans alike held their collective breaths. As the world hoped for the best, Adam Schefter of ESPN delivered some tough news on Saturday regarding Ojabo’s injury.

“Tests confirmed that LB David Ojabo tore his Achilles, per a Michigan source,” tweeted Schefter. “Doctors expect a full and complete recovery. Rams’ RB Cam Akers tore his Achilles last summer and was back in about six months, and doctors expect Ojabo to be on the same timeline.”

There’s never a good time for an injury in football, but the timing of Ojabo’s devastating injury is heart-breaking.

Instead of preparing for one of the biggest days of his life, David Ojabo now has a lengthy rehab in front of him. Time will tell what NFL team isn’t scared off by the news, and who takes a shot on the immense talent out of Michigan.