Medical checks are a big part of the Scouting Combine and a red flag about a player’s physical condition can lead to a big drop down the draft board.
For Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, that drop would start from the very top of the first round. Allen is projected to be one of the first players off the board in April, but Alabama’s team doctor thinks some teams may be taken aback when they get a look at scans of Allen’s shoulders.
Allen has dealt with labral tears that required surgery in both of his shoulders and left him with moderate arthritis, but Dr. Lyle Cain said that no one should be put off because Allen hasn’t been impacted on the field.
“Jonathan has really played without symptoms in his shoulders, and it’s something that has not affected his performance or function,” Cain said, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. “It doesn’t have to be treated during the season. And he’s had a couple of great years. ... This is something that a lot of offensive linemen and defensive linemen have, things guys play with their whole careers. It’s just a little earlier for him because he got hurt in college.”
Allen will be doing the bench press in Indianapolis and a good showing on the exercise along with the positive report from his doctor would assuage some concerns about one of this year’s top prospects.