Alabama Crimson Tide star and first round 2025 NFL Draft prospect's surgery news could make him a steal on draft day
Every spring there are certain NFL Draft prospects who elect to undergo minor surgeries and procedures as they prepare to begin their professional careers. Every single year it seems that the baseline response for fans and media alike to overreact, assuming that a player's draft stock may take a huge hit. And most of the […]
Every spring there are certain NFL Draft prospects who elect to undergo minor surgeries and procedures as they prepare to begin their professional careers. Every single year it seems that the baseline response for fans and media alike to overreact, assuming that a player's draft stock may take a huge hit. And most of the time those concerns are largely misplaced.
Now there are certainly exceptions, and certain surgeries (like full-on ACL and MCL repair) do take time. However, it seems as though many were caught off guard at the Alabama Pro Day when news of Jihaad Campbell's surgery was revealed, leading some to believe his NFL Draft stock will drop significantly. That's not likely to be the case. If some NFL teams overreact too, Campbell may be a steal on draft day, but here's why that likely doesn't happen.
Jihaad Campbell, Torn Labrum Surgery
It was confirmed on Wednesday that Jihaad Campbell had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder following the NFL Scouting Combine. Jordan Reid of ESPN shared this with the world today as this news came about via his time on SEC Network.
For those unfamiliar, the labrum is the thin ring of cartilage that outlines the shoulder socket, connecting the arm to the abdomen. For positions like quarterback that require complete control and mobility of the shoulder to operate at peak NFL levels, an injury to the labrum can be terrible. However, for most other positions, should labrum tears are quite common, and in many cases have rather short recovery times.
In fact, many players both in college and the NFL get labrum repairs done following the season in what many would describe as simple "clean-up" procedures for minor tears and damage. In those instances the full recovery time and return to action can be as little as four months. Even in the worst case (like mine, where it was torn a third of the way around the joint), a full recovery can take six months, but typically not much more than that.
We don't yet know the full severity of the tear and the complete timeline to return, but given how well Jihaad Campbell was operating at the NFL Combine it's quite likely the tear was not significant. In many cases, with more extensive tears of the labrum, the arm and shoulder area can feel almost disconnected and be far more susceptible to repeated dislocation. If that were the case, full participation in at the NFL Combine likely would not have happened for Campbell.
So, does this mean Campbell definitely won't see a little slide in his NFL Draft capital, ultimately making him a potential steal? Not necessarily. However, given what we do know, and NFL teams' likely familiarity with the short-term nature of the injury and recovery timelines most will realize Jihaad Campbell could be ready by the beginning of his rookie season.
Campbell has been rising swiftly up NFL Draft boards since he posted a 94th percentile athletic profile for off-ball linebackers at the NFL Combine. Let's hope that continues for him despite the surgery.
We'll be back with more Alabama Crimson Tide coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
If you want to look back on how special Jihaad Campbell was for the Alabama Crimson Tide just check out some of his highlights in the video below!
