Wisconsin's Ryan Ramczyk, one of college football's top offensive tackles, will reportedly undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip. However, Ramczyk said a decision on whether to have surgery hasn't yet been made.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Ramczyk (6-feet-6, 314 pounds) will play in the Cotton Bowl against Western Michigan before undergoing surgery that would require a four-month recovery. Ramczyk said on Wednesday that plans for dealing with the injury are "not set in stone," according to ESPN.
"There's a lot of information to be gathered yet," Ramczyk said, per ESPN. "I've got to do that and see what's the pros, what's the cons, and weigh all that and see what the surgery -- if I have to have it -- see what that's about, how long I could be out."
If Ramczyk has surgery and is unable to perform in physical testing for scouts at the NFL Scouting Combine or at Wisconsin's pro day, his evaluation will be all the tougher for NFL clubs trying to catch up on a player who had never started an FBS game before this season.
"He's really athletic and he's really smart. There are a lot of Wisconsin linemen who start in the league because they learn an NFL system and they are taught the right way," an NFC scout told College Football 24/7. "He played against Arden Key (LSU), Sam Hubbard (Ohio State) and Taco Charlton (Michigan). This guy is battle tested against three future first-rounders."
Ramczyk, a junior, has yet to announce whether he will file for early draft eligibility, and told ESPN that his decision on early entry would be impacted by whether surgery is necessary. College underclassmen have until a Jan. 16 deadline to file for early eligibility. Ramczyk played two seasons at Wisconsin-Stevens Point before transferring to Wisconsin; he redshirted in 2015.
"LSU has good edge guys and I was saying, 'Who the heck is the left tackle?'" a scout told the Journal Sentinel, referring to Ramczyk's Wisconsin debut in September. "He matches up with people stride for stride athletically. I was shocked."
The pool of offensive tackles in the 2017 NFL Draft is expected to be a thin one, but Ramczyk is one of the fastest risers of the group.
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