NFL Draft Rumor Mill

Malik Hooker Out 4-6 Months After Two Surgeries

Updated Feb. 1, 2017
By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.

Every year in the NFL Draft, there are some top prospects who are held back by injury during the pre-draft process. This year, one of the top talents in the 2017 NFL Draft will be in that category, as WalterFootball.com has learned from NFL sources that Ohio State safety Malik Hooker will be out 4-6 months after having hernia and labrum surgery.

Given the timetable of his recovery, Hooker won't be able to participate in the field workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine and may not be able to conduct other workouts later in the spring for teams prior to the draft. Thus, sources say that Hooker's combine medical recheck weeks before the draft will be very important for teams to gauge if there could be any projected impact on his availability for the start of training camp.

Hooker was one of the breakout players in college football in 2016, as the redshirt sophomore totaled 74 tackles with 5.5 for a loss, half a sack, four passes broken up and seven interceptions. He returned three of those picks for touchdowns in his first season as a starter. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder impressed evaluators with his natural skills as a single high safety and his ability to be a game changer in pass coverage. Hooker is atop our NFL Draft Safety Prospect Rankings.

At this time, the injuries don't appear to be threatening to his rookie season, so his draft stock may not see much of an impact from these surgeries. Multiple teams have told WalterFootball.com that Hooker has received high first-round grades, so even with these injuries, he may not have a long wait to find out his NFL home on Thursday night of the draft.

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