Texas A&M offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi suffered a torn ACL in the third quarter of the Aggies' Liberty Bowl win over West Virginia, and conventional wisdom was that he would slide down draft boards.
NFL Media analyst Lance Zierlein said that's not the case.
"After speaking with multiple teams I have no doubt that Ced Ogbuehi's ACL tear will NOT keep him out of the first round," Zierlein tweeted Tuesday morning. "He's going in 1st."
Ogbuehi (6-foot-5 1/4, 306 pounds) played guard and both tackle spots at A&M, moving from guard as a sophomore to right tackle as a junior to left tackle as a senior. But the late-season injury, which caused Ogbuehi to miss out on the testing and drills at the NFL Scouting Combine as well as A&M's pro day, was seen as a negative.
Ogbuehi has said he expects to be ready by training camp, but that seems an optimistic outlook, given that it can take nine months to recover from ACL surgery.
Ogbuehi was one of the most highly hyped offensive linemen heading into the 2014 season, and his versatility and athleticism were considered big selling points. But even before the injury, he had a rather uneven season and even was moved back to the right side for a bit.
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah has Ogbuehi at No. 50 in his ranking of the top 50 prospects, and Zierlein has Ogbuehi as his No. 7 offensive lineman.
Ogbuehi has visited with the Detroit Lions, who would seem to be in the market for a tackle or a guard. The Lions pick 23rd in the first round.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
