Texas A&M left tackle Cedric Ogbuehi suffered a torn ACL during the team’s Liberty Bowl win over the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Ogbuehi, a senior, could have been a first round pick had he declared for the NFL Draft prior to his senior season. Instead, the Aggies paid for an insurance policy for the star lineman enticing him to return to school. Now, Ogbuehi’s draft stock has taken a major hit as he will be unable to participate in either the Senior Bowl or the NFL Combine- two major opportunities to dazzle NFL scouts. Even before the injury, Ogbuehi’s play had been questioned at times due to a lack of consistency, and because of the injury, it will take an even more significant drop.
Still, Ogbuehi’s grade by many of the top NFL Draft analysts had been extremely high, and with Texas A&M’s history of producing top offensive lineman, a team could be persuaded to reach for Ogbuehi. The most recent products of the University have been top ten picks Luke Joeckel and Jake Matthews. Both have been solid additions to their respective lines and have proven to the NFL that Texas A&M molds elite offensive lineman.
Ogbuehi faces the real possibility of having to miss a larger portion, if not all, of his rookie season and who knows which team is willing to gamble. The Ogbuehi injury is just one of many collegiate players that risk their prosperous futures by returning for an extra season at their respective colleges. Injuries can occur on almost any given play and those top tier players should not endanger their futures for a return to college. Instead, they should cash in on their careers and further limit any potential damage to their bodies another year would apply.
*Section Photo credit to Bob Levey, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Ray Carlin, USA Today Sports
