Speaking in general terms as evaluator with team including medical. Processing war room & stacking board.
Trying to do this in general terms without a springboard example is very difficult because there can be so many variables..........college performance, college competition,character, number of injuries, type of injuries and their risk of potential long-term effects on performance and longevity.........and, of course, team's need for the player's position.
So that you can at least get an idea how I might approach final conclusions, I will begin with Diggs.
Diggs did not come from a high-power team with high-power QBs (U of Maryland). He had limited exposure in college due to injuries (~<2 )years. In his 1st 2 years, competition he faced in the ACC was questionable. His most productive year was his freshman year. The only real competition he faced was after U of Maryland joined the Big 10 in his 3rd year.
There were significant durability concerns with his slight build.......something that was borne out in his last 2 seasons......He had a pretty scrawny build........after battling several injuries his last two seasons.........a broken right leg (Oct. 2013) that sidelined him for the final six games of 2013 and a lacerated kidney (Nov. 2014) that ended his junior regular season. As I wrote before, "he was very aware of his inadequate build and his vulnerability to injury...........anyone that ever watched him in college knows that he was never shy about shying away from blocking and avoiding contact in general."
Looking at the type of injuries he sustained, neither were of those kind that would be expected to have long-term effects. The leg fracture which was really never identified by the team was actually the same that Tank Dell suffered last season.........a distal fibula fracture, which also required surgery. The kidney laceration would not expose him to further damage once it would be totally healed.........something that was shown to be true when he returned without incident for a Bowl game 2 months following his laceration.
Shoving an official in the face prior to Nov Penn State game (the game that he lacerated his kidney) definitely demonstrated immaturity..........something that I heard about in other contexts besides this incident.
So how would I evaluate him for the Draft (before the Draft)?
He certainly was not a 1st or 2nd round talent.
The
type of injury history he had would not have bothered me. But the build/durability factor would have made me think more than once about taking him in the 3rd.
The immaturity factor in addition to his limited experience/productionwould have taken him out of the 3rd and at least into the 4th.
The Vikings took him in the 5th........and they were quite desparate for a WR. Their only real WR on the roster of any note was Michael Wallace an aging 29 year old for which they already traded for from the Dolphins (prior to the Draft) for a 5th round pick.........the pick they used on Diggs. Wallace had a terrible 2015 and was released shortly thereafter.
So there it is..........an inside look into how this particular doctor/fan would have advised my team.
