One of the more interesting names in the 2020 NFL Draft, Akeem Davis-Gaither of Appalachian State, is set for surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot
Akeem Davis-Gaither has been a player on the rise throughout the past couple of seasons as he approached the 2020 NFL Draft. An undersized linebacker, Davis-Gaither was listed at 6-foot-2 and 215-pounds by Appalachian State.
Despite that size, he had 197 tackles and 6.5 sacks the past two seasons. He was able to rack up these numbers due to his speed, incredible instincts, and ability to avoid blockers. All of those skills made him a player to watch in the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine.
Unfortunately, we won’t bee seeing him take the field to show off his talent.
According to Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network, Davis-Gaither is scheduled to have surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot, which will keep him from competing in any more drills — ADG did partake in the bench press before this story broke and had 21 reps.
Sources at the #NFLCombine tell @TonyPauline that Appalachian State linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither will undergo surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot, an injury he played with throughout the 2019 season.
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) February 29, 2020
Here’s all the details: https://t.co/5sc2ivrMzI pic.twitter.com/Sk2xuqnTEL
According to Pauline, the senior linebacker played through the injury in 2019. That’s impressive in itself but for him to record 101 tackles while not at full strength makes this feat even more remarkable.
While Davis-Gaither is a tweener, the NFL has evolved in recent seasons. The insurgence of mobile quarterbacks makes it even more important to have a linebacker on the roster that can fly from one side of the field to the other. This makes players such as Davis-Gaither much more desirable. And to think, he could be even better with a healthy foot.