As long as college football is played and there are injuries, Marcus Lattimore's leg injury will be brought up in the same way NFL fans still remember Joe Theismann. The injury was gruesome and heartbreaking, considering it seemed on first glance that Lattimore's immense pro future was also leaving that field on a cart.
But since Lattimore announced he was leaving the college game behind to enter the NFL draft, the news from his camp has been a never-ending stream of positivity, with the latest being an optimistic proclamation concerning this week's scouting combine.
Speaking on South Carolina's weekly "Inside the Roost" radio show (via midlandsconnect.com), Lattimore said NFL doctors "will be shocked, I can tell you that," about the health of his surgically repaired knee.
Lattimore said Dr. James Andrews will accompany him to Indianapolis to answer any questions to NFL teams, which probably says a lot about Lattimore's personality that the famous doctor would do so. Lattimore won't do any drills at the combine but will start running next Monday, he said on the radio show.
Without seeing Lattimore in a full workout – and Lattimore has already said he isn't sure if he'll participate in South Carolina's pro day – teams will be taking a leap of faith by drafting Lattimore. While the positive messages from Lattimore are great to hear, they still need to be taken with some skepticism before he works out in full for teams.
On talent level alone, Lattimore is an easy gamble to take for a NFL team. He was a can't-miss NFL prospect before a pair of knee injuries, including a harrowing one just a few months ago. But without seeing Lattimore's ability to run and cut after that injury, the risk gets a lot steeper. In the best-case scenario, stories about Lattimore's awful injury will include a happy ending about how he overcame it to star in the NFL.
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