Inside Injuries: NFL Draft First Round Prospect Risk Assessment |

Inside Injuries has analyzed the injury risk of each first round prospect in the 2018 NFL Draft.

**Pick predictions based on Sports Illustrated writer Peter King’s mock draft.

Pick	Player Name	Position	College	Injury Concerns
1	Sam Darnold	QB	USC	Other than a minor right ankle tweak in October 2017, Sam Darnold has been durable so far in his football career.
2	Saquon Barkley	RB	Penn State	Lingering right ankle injuries in 2015 and 2016 provide some concern, but he’s been healthy for the past two years.
3	Josh Rosen	QB	UCLA	Rosen has serious injury concerns. He missed half of the 2016 season after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery to address nerve damage. He also sustained two concussions in 2017.
4	Bradley Chubb	DE	NC State	Chubb suffered a gruesome finger injury last season, but he’s completely recovered and never missed a game to the injury. It’s no longer a concern.
5	Baker Mayfield	QB	Oklahoma	Mayfield has reportedly been diagnosed with multiple concussions, but other than that he has been healthy throughout his college career. Mayfield’s bigger concerns are related to his behavior off the field.
6	Josh Allen	QB	Wyoming	Josh Allen’s throwing shoulder has been through the ringer. He has broken his right clavicle twice (once in high school and again in 2015), and he still has 8 screws and a plate in his shoulder. He also experienced soreness in his right shoulder over the past few years, and last year he missed time with an AC sprain. The shoulder problems will likely continue in his NFL career.
7	Minkah Fitzpatrick	DB	Alabama	Fitzpatrick suffered a bruised kidney in January, and though he played through the injury in the National Championship, internal injuries are always concerning.
8	Quenton Nelson	OG	Notre Dame	Nelson remained healthy throughout his college career with the exception of an ankle sprain in 2015. He’s a healthy draft prospect.
9	Roquan Smith	LB	Georgia	Smith’s time at the combine was cut short when he suffered a hamstring strain. He doesn’t seem to have a history of hamstring injuries, but once they start, it’s hard to shake these large muscle injuries. There is some risk here.
10	Mike McGlinchey	OT	Notre Dame	No injury concerns.
11	Vita Vea	DT	Washington	Like Smith, Vea also suffered a hamstring strain at the combine this year. Hamstring strains can be tricky and tend to linger. This is something to keep an eye on.
12	Tremaine Edmunds	OLB	Virginia Tech	No injury concerns.
13	Denzel Ward	CB	Ohio State	Ward came into the combine completely healthy, but he tweaked his ankle during workouts. It isn’t a major concern, and teams shouldn’t be afraid to draft him.
14	Josh Jackson	CB	Iowa	No injury concerns.
15	Mike Hughes	CB	Central Florida	No injury concerns.
16	Derwin James	S	Florida State	A torn meniscus in 2016 is the only injury concern surrounding Derwin James. He had the meniscus fully repaired instead of trimmed, which comes with better long-term success and less likelihood of aggravations and lingering symptoms. He didn’t have any problems in the 2017 season.
17	Kolton Miller	OT	UCLA	Miller missed the second half of the 2016 season after sustaining a foot injury in October. He played every game in 2017 and shouldn’t have any lingering injury issues.
18	Marcus Davenport	DE	UTSA	No injury concerns.
19	D.J. Moore	WR	Maryland	No injury concerns.
20	Da’Ron Payne	DT	Alabama	No injury concerns.
21	Lamar Jackson	QB	Louisville	No injury concerns.
22	James Daniels	C	Iowa	Daniels has dealt with a handful of lower body injuries that make him an injury concern. He suffered a torn meniscus in 2016, and he dealt with lingering knee issues after his return. Daniels also suffered a hamstring injury in March that limited him at the combine.
23	Rashaan Evans	LB	Alabama	Evans’ groin issues are a major concern for any team that is looking to draft him. He dealt with a nagging left groin injury in 2016 and then suffered a torn right groin in 2017. There are also reports of Evans’ left side “going numb” during a game in October 2017, which suggests he suffered some sort of stinger.
24	Calvin Ridley	WR	Alabama	Ridley dealt with a minor thigh bruise in October 2017, but he never missed a game and it’s no longer a concern.
25	Harold Landry	DE	Boston College	A right ankle injury eventually shut down Landry’s last season at Boston College, but he showed no signs of injury at the Combine. There is some risk here but not enough to deter teams from picking who analysts are calling one of the best edge rusher in this year’s draft class.
26	Taven Byran	DT	Florida	Bryan is a healthy draft prospect. The only injury from his college career is an ankle sprain in 2015.
27	Frank Ragnow	C	Arkansas	Ragnow missed the remainder of the 2017 season with a high ankle sprain that he suffered in October. High ankle sprains are tricky injuries and can sometimes linger. There is some risk here.
28	Jaire Alexander	CB	Louisville	Alexander’s final year at Louisville was filled with injuries, but he seems to have made a full recovery. He missed almost half of 2017 with a right knee injury and a broken hand. He isn’t considered High Risk because he returned for the final three games of the season and looked no worse for the wear, but there is a bit of concern.
29	Christian Kirk	WR	Texas A&M	Other than a minor ankle tweak in December, Kirk has remained healthy during his college career.
30	Will Hernandez	OG	UTEP	No injury concerns.
31	Leighton Vander Esch	LB	Boise State	Leighton Vander Esch missed half of the 2016 season with a pinched nerve in his neck. Rumors are that some teams have crossed him off their list because of this injury, but we don’t think it’s an immediate concern. Neck injuries are difficult though, and it’s possible this becomes an issue down the road.
32	Connor Williams	OG	Texas	Williams sprained his MCL and PCL in his left knee in September, but he looked like he did pre-injury at the combine. Williams also tore his meniscus in high school, but doctors concluded after the sprain that surgery would not be necessary to repair the damage. It’s likely that Williams’ left knee will act up again at some point in his NFL career, but it’s not an immediate concern.

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