2020 NFL Draft: Laviska Shenault’s injury concerns persist
Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Laviska Shenault is a tremendous talent, but will injury concerns be a major issue at the next level?
While the Scouting Combine is often an overrated evaluating tool from a pure football perspective, it’s extremely valuable for teams when looking in-depth at players’ medical issues. For 2020 NFL Draft prospect Laviska Shenault, a wide receiver from Colorado, injuries have been an unfortunate narrative over the past couple of years.
Shenault was diagnosed with an inflammation of the pubic bone earlier in February, an injury that reportedly didn’t require surgery. Now, he is going to need surgery after it was revealed he worked out at the 2020 combine with a core muscle injury.
Colorado WR Laviska Shenault, who has been dealing with core muscle injury and inflammation of the pubic bone, will have surgery that is expected to sideline him 4-6 weeks, per league source. Despite the injury, Shenault ran a 4.55 at the combine. But with no improvement, surgery
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 29, 2020
Shenault, on tape, is not a 4.55 guy. Even playing through some nagging injuries this past season, it’s clear that Shenault has special athleticism and speed.
For him to workout the way he did was very uncharacteristic and it certainly felt like something was off.
Apparently, it really was.
For Shenault, this is another unfortunate development in a long line of injury issues — big or small — that he’s had in the past couple of years at Colorado. He played through a lot, including this core injury, which has been bothering him for a good while. As a matter of fact, this popped up for Shenault all the way back in mid-September/early October, and he hasn’t been 100 percent since.
What is this going to do for Shenault’s 2020 NFL Draft stock?
On the surface, a 4-6 week injury doesn’t seem like a big deal, but injuries have been too big of a part of his history in the last couple of years to ignore.
Shenault had toe surgery in 2018, an injury that lingered throughout the season and he had shoulder surgery in the 2019 offseason.
Shenault’s toughness can’t be questioned. He’s been playing through these injuries that are requiring surgery as much as he possibly can, but NFL teams will have to wonder if he’s able to sustain a 17-game schedule for the majority of his rookie contract.
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That’s a lot to expect of any player in general, but Shenault’s injury history is concerning enough that he may no longer be a lock to be a first-round pick in 2020.