Jump to content

Dolphins "steal" Wright has Torn Rotator Cuff


124

Recommended Posts

Could this be why he slipped???

Dolphins' draft 'steal' Wright has torn rotator cuff

By Len Pasquarelli

ESPN.com

The Miami Dolphins may have landed the biggest steal in the draft when they selected University of Texas defensive tackle Rodrique Wright, considered a first-round candidate at the outset of the 2005 season and certainly a first-day pick in most analyses leading up to the lottery, in the seventh round on Sunday evening.

Unfortunately, Miami might have to wait until 2007 to reap the benefits of its heist.

Tests before the draft revealed that Wright, the 226th player chosen over the weekend and the last of the 23 defensive tackles selected to go off the board, has a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder. The Dolphins will conduct a follow-up MRI exam later this week and may opt to have Wright undergo surgery to repair the condition.

If Wright does have surgery, there is a chance he could miss the entire 2006 season and, at best, wouldn't be available until the second half of his rookie campaign.

"If there's anything good in this, I guess it's that my stock dropped because of a medical condition, not because of my football talent," said Wright. "It's still disappointing, no doubt about that, but now the mystery is taken out of it. That helps a little bit."

Wright played much of his junior season and all of his senior year with the shoulder problem, but it wasn't until Dolphins coach Nick Saban phoned him Sunday morning that the former Longhorns star understood the seriousness of the injury and the possibility that surgery might be indicated. At least three other franchises had "red flagged" Wright as a medical risk and the Carolina Panthers removed him from their draft board entirely.

The injury never sidelined Wright for even a single game and he appeared in 50 contests in four college seasons. Notable is that, over his last two seasons, Wright's statistics were not nearly as prolific as in his first two years. As a freshman and sophomore, he totaled 145 tackles and 12 sacks. His numbers dropped to 82 tackles and 5

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...