UPDATE: App State LB Davis-Gaither, LSU C Cushenberry among several draft hopefuls dealing with injuries at NFL Combine

Updated 3/1/20

Add several more players who were injured during the Combine.

Linebackers Patrick Queen of LSU (6-0, 229) and Kenneth Murray of Oklahoma (6-2, 241) each appeared to tweak their hamstrings while running their second 40-yard dash drills on Saturday.

Neither injury is serious.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said Queen is expected to participate in LSU’s Pro Day on April 3.  The Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller, meanwhile, says Murray had already regained strength and is also expected to participate in Oklahoma’s Pro Day on March 11.

And Ohio State cornerback Jeffrey Okudah (6-1, 205) landed awkwardly while tracking a ball, taking a hit to his head and neck area on Sunday. Okudah sat out the drills afterward but later confirmed via Twitter that he was fine.

Okudah is the No. 5 overall prospect in the latest Fanspeak-Steve big board.

Talked to OU LB Kenneth Murray this morning following his 40 yard dash run that ended with an injury.

He's doing well and has the majority of his strength already, which indicates a strain. He was able to walk on it and stayed to support his fellow LBs during drills last night.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) March 1, 2020

#LSU 1st round LB Patrick Queen, who suffered a hamstring injury while running his 40-yard dash, received positive news on his MRI. Source says that while it looked scary, Queen merely tweaked his hamstring, is walking this morning and should be able to work out at LSU’s Pro Day.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 1, 2020

We’re All Good Over Here! pic.twitter.com/CV5dRISNXg

— Jeff Okudah (@jeffokudah) March 1, 2020

Small-school linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither was hoping to make a name for himself at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine.

Now he’ll have to impress during Appalachian State’s Pro Day.

Davis-Gaither (6-foot1, 224) is among several players who are either not participating, limited, or who were hurt during the Combine.

Davis-Gaither, a Senior Bowl participant, was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his foot. Even though he played with the injury the entire season, Davis-Gaither will now need surgery.

Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network says Davis-Gaither will likely need a screw surgically inserted to stabilize the injury.

It was also disappointing news for one of the top offensive linemen at the Combine. LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry (6-3, 312), considered the best interior offensive lineman, appeared to pull his right hamstring while running his second 40-yard dash on Friday, forcing him to miss the rest of the drills, reports NFL Networks Kimberly Jones. Cushenberry ran a 5.27 40 on his first attempt. Prior to that, he had 25 reps in the bench press.

LSU’s Pro Day is April 3.

https://twitter.com/LCush79/status/1233563604277919744

More Combine injury news includes:

• Florida WR Van Jefferson (6-1, 200) was discovered to have what’s called a Jones fracture in his right foot, which ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports was discovered during his Combine physical. Jefferson is expected to undergo surgery next week and will be sidelined six to eight weeks but is still expected to be healthy by training camp.
• Alabama WR Henry Ruggs III (5-11, 188) suffered an undisclosed injury after his second 40 but was seen icing his quad afterward. Ruggs still posted a 40 time of 4.27, one of the fastest times ever recorded at the event.
• Notre Dame edge Khalid Kareem (6-4, 268) suffered a torn labrum late last season but played through the injury. He had surgery in January but isn’t expected to be ready for rookie minicamps in May. However, he’s expected to be fully healthy by training camp, according to ND Insider.
• Fresh off a Walter Football Hot Press report that said team sources were concerned about Colorado WR Laviska Shenault’s (6-1, 227) ability to avoid injury, ESPN’s Schefter reported Saturday afternoon that the junior would undergo surgery that would sideline him four to six weeks. Shenault, according to the report, has been dealing with a core muscle injury and inflammation of the pubic bone. Shenault ran a pedestrian 4.58 40 and had 17 reps on bench press but didn’t participate in any other drills.

• Prior to the Combine, South Carolina WR Bryan Edwards (6-3, 212) announced via Twitter that he suffered a broken foot while preparing for the event, forcing him to miss the drills. Edwards said he’d need a few months to recover.
• LSU TE Thaddeus Moss (6-2, 250) has a fracture in his right foot that will require surgery, according to ESPN’s Jeff Legwold. Like Florida’s Jefferson, the injury was discovered during his Combine physical. The recovery time for a fracture to a fifth metatarsal bone is typically six to eight weeks, according to media reports. Three other LSU players – edge K’Lavon Chaisson, safety Grant Delpit and QB Joe Burrow – skipped onfield workouts. Delpit said he was hindered by a high ankle sprain for most of 2019, while Chaisson has dealt with injuries throughout his career.
• Utah RB Zack Moss (5-9, 223) tweaked his hamstring during his vertical jump, Schefter reports, but participated in the 40 anyway. Moss is expected to run again during Utah’s Pro Day March 26.
• Utah CB Jaylon Johnson (6-0, 193) is expected to miss five months once he receives surgery for a torn labrum that he played through since suffering the injury to his right shoulder in September, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelisse. Johnson is still expected to participate in all Combine drills, which wrap up on Sunday with the defensive backs.
• South Carolina DL Javon Kinlaw (6-5, 324) will wait to go through field workouts during his school’s Pro Day so that he can continue to rehab the knee tendinitis that prevented him from fully participating in the Senior Bowl.
• Louisiana-Lafayette’s Robert Hunt (6-5, 323) didn’t participate in drills as he continues to rehab from a groin injury.
• Texas WR Collin Johnson (6-2, 220) didn’t run at the Combine due to a hip flexor injury he suffered during pre-Combine workouts, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Johnson also missed four games this past season due to injury.
• The strangest-injury award goes to South Florida TE Mitch Wilcox (6-3, 247), who popped a blood vessel in his left eye while taking a ball to the face during Thursday’s drills, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Wilcox finished the workout and is now expected to retest all the drills during his school’s Pro Day on March 30.

TOUGH GUY !!! pic.twitter.com/mqQuCAiKQ1

— René Bugner (@RNBWCV) February 28, 2020