Wisconsin linebacker Chris Borland has been removed from the draft board of one NFL club due to a medical concern about his surgically repaired left shoulder, according to a report. The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year is considered a likely second-day draft choice (Rounds 2 and 3), but one team's doctors fear he might be facing a third procedure on the same shoulder.
"The issue with his shoulder is that he had a repair and the screw has kind of slid down into the joint," a source within the club that removed Borland from consideration told jsonline.com. "So there's a feeling that he's going to have to have another surgery. It would be his third one."
While one club is backing off the former Badgers star, another isn't so concerned.
"Yes, Borland does have concerns with his shoulders, especially the one with the screw, but he is not a fail on our board," one team executive said. "Just a concern. The guy is tough and rarely misses time, but the injuries are a concern because of the position he plays."
That one club has chosen to take Borland off its board might ultimately have no affect on his draft status at all, but if multiple clubs have a lesser measure of concern, it could result in a longer draft-day wait for one of college football's most productive and charismatic defenders. Both of Borland's shoulders have been surgically repaired for torn labrums, although the left one has been operated on twice. Those injuries were early in Borland's college career, however. According to the report, Borland's shoulders have given him no problems for the last three seasons.
Borland led Wisconsin in tackles with 112 last year, by a whopping margin of 49 stops over second-leading tackler Michael Caputo, and made a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss with four sacks. He had an impressive showing at the Reese's Senior Bowl, as well, and drew a comparison from Falcons coach Mike Smith to former Miami Dolphins star linebacker Zach Thomas, in part due to both being short (5-11) for an NFL middle linebacker.
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