LB Reggie Ragland flagged with enlarged aorta

[Merlin]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000656721/article/reggie-ragland-flagged-with-enlarged-aorta

Reggie Ragland's status for the 2016 NFL Draft has been affected by a medical concern.

The former Alabama linebacker was flagged for an enlarged aorta and some NFL clubs have lowered Ragland on their draft boards as a result, people close to the player and officials with seven teams told NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport. The seven teams don't see the condition as something that will affect his football career, however, and consider it something that will merely bear close watching, Rapoport added.

Ragland was a two-year starter for the Crimson Tide and anchored one of the nation's dominant defenses during that stretch. He is regarded as the draft's top pure inside linebacker and remains a first-round projection.

Ragland made 195 stops with 17 tackles for loss over the last two years at Alabama. NFL Media draft expert Mike Mayock has projected Ragland to the Green Bay Packers with the No. 27 overall pick of the draft, a selection that would allow the club to move star veteran linebacker Clay Matthews back to his natural outside linebacker spot.

 

[RAMpage28]

Don't know how big this is for his carrer. Heard it won't effect his play, but will need to be checked on yearly.

Not a huge fan of his. Seems like a two-down guy. Brandon Spikes type. Has great instincts but is serviceable at best in zone. Wouldnt want him in man coverage. That said, he seems to have completely fallen off in recent days but maybe with the Jack and Jaylon injuries, his stock goes up a bit more.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

An enlarged aorta can be dangerous because it is basically stretched, meaning the wall of the aorta is thinner than normal. I am surprised teams think it is alright for him to play. Maybe it is only slightly enlarged. A thin sorta wall could ruptures a hard enough impact. If that happened he would bleed into his chest and die on the field. I don't know how hard of an impact it would take, but consider this; people who don't have an enlarged aorta and resulting in thin arterial wall have died in car accidents when their aorta completely severed from the impact.