NFL draft insider weighs in on how injury will impact David Ojabo draft stock

When David Ojabo went down with an injury during Michigan’s Pro Day on Friday, one of the first questions — other than how he was doing — was how it’d impact his draft stock. According to one NFL Draft insider, it might not change much.

SB Nation’s Jim Nagy said he doesn’t think Ojabo’s draft position will change much after tearing his achilles Friday. He said he talked to people around the league, and it sounded like teams didn’t expect Ojabo to make an instant impact right away.

“David Ojabo’s injury is very unfortunate but doubt it causes him to slide much on draft day,” Nagy tweeted. “Most NFL teams we’ve spoken with weren’t expecting immediate production Ojabo’s rookie year. He’s very young football-wise so teams are banking on Years 2-4 developmental high ceiling.”

Ojabo is a projected first-round pick in multiple mock drafts after playing a major role for Michigan in 2021. He and Aidan Hutchinson combined for 25 sacks to help the Wolverines to a 12-2 record and a College Football Playoff appearance.

David Ojabo, a projected first-round NFL Draft pick, injured during Pro Day

It’s a sight no one wanted to see. NFL-bound former Michigan defender David Ojabo suffered an injury during the Wolverines’ Pro Day on Friday.

Ojabo got hurt during a pass rush drill and had to be helped off the field, according to NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha. It appeared to be a left leg injury, according to Chadiha.

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.”

After Ojabo suffered the injury, he took to Twitter to send a comforting message to supporters.

“God got me!” he tweeted. “Ima be back stronger than ever. All part of my story.”

This past season, Ojabo played in 13 games at Michigan and racked up 35 total tackles, including 24 solo stops. He also had 12 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, five forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and three passes defended.

In ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft, he had Ojabo going 16th overall to the Philadelphia Eagles. NFL.com also recently released a mock draft, where Ojabo was selected with the seventh overall pick by the New York Giants.

On3’s Stephen Samra contributed to this report.