Abdul Carter believes he should be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and had an opportunity to go No. 1 before another injury significantly impacted his draft stock. At the NFL combine, reports leaked Carter has a stress reaction in his right foot and will need to make a decision whether to have surgery prior to the draft.
If Carter has surgery or not, this will affect his chances to be selected No. 1 overall — and his draft stock will fall. Carter is also coming off a significant shoulder injury stemming from the College Football Playoff as well. His chances of being selected in the top five of the NFL Draft took a significant turn.
Carter isn’t the only player to have his draft stock fall due to an injury prior to the draft. Other players have experienced a similar unfortunate circumstance and managed to have good NFL careers, regardless of their draft stock falling and pre-draft injury.
Which players had a pre-draft injury that caused their stock to fall? Here are a few recent examples:
A potential top-10 pick in 2019, Simmons tore his ACL while training for the draft before being selected by the Tennessee Titans at No. 19 overall. Simmons took a while to get going, missing the first six games in his rookie season and had just 5.0 sacks in his first two years.
Simmons has made the Pro Bowl in three of the past four years and is a two-time All-Pro selection (second team). He has 26.5 sacks over the past four seasons.
2025 NFL mock draft: Abdul Carter goes No. 1 despite foot injury; Jayden Daniels gets new weapon in pass game
Josh Edwards
Williams tore his ACL in the national championship game against Georgia, significantly affecting his draft stock — and taking him out of the running as a potential top-five pick. The Detroit Lions traded up to select Williams at No. 12 overall, and Williams ended up playing only six games in his rookie season (having one catch for 41 yards and a touchdown).
The road to success for Williams has had its paths, as he’s been suspended twice (one for placing bets inside the Lions practice facility and the other for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy). He rebounded in year three to finish with 58 catches for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns — averaging 17.3 yards per catch.
Willis McGahee (No. 23 overall, 2003)
McGahee tore multiple ligaments in the 2003 BCS National Championship Game against Ohio State, a significant injury that tanked his draft stock. McGahee was a top-five pick prior to the injury, but ended up going to the Buffalo Bills at No. 23 overall.
Buffalo took a chance on McGahee, even though he missed the entire 2003 season. McGahee hade his debut in 2004 and rushed for 1,128 yards and 13 touchdowns — finishing third in Comeback Player of the Year voting. He made two Pro Bowls in 11 seasons and played until he was 32 years old, rushing for 8,474 yards and 65 touchdowns (had four 1,000-yard seasons).
Dickerson had an extensive injury injury prior to the draft that included two ACL tears (one in each knee) and multiple ankle injuries. He suffered a torn ACL in the SEC Championship Game win over Florida. The injuries caused Dickerson to significantly fall in the draft, but the Philadelphia Eagles selected him high in the second round at No. 37 overall.
Dickerson has made three Pro Bowls at left guard in his four seasons and has started 62 of 63 games played (missing only five games). He’s also one of the best guards in the NFL.
David Ojabo (No. 45 overall, 2022)
Ojabo suffered a torn Achilles during his Pro Day at Michigan, causing his stock to fall out of the top-10 until the Baltimore Ravens took a shot on him in the second round. He played just two games in his rookie season and three in his second year before undergoing season-ending knee surgery in November of 2023 (suffered the injury in Week 3 of that season).
He played 13 games this past seaosn, with zero starts. Ojabo finished with nine tackles and two sacks in a limited role. Injuries have significantly hindered Ojabo’s NFL career.
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