One of the NFL Draft's top defensive line prospects, Shaq Lawson, is headed back to Indianapolis to have his shoulder re-examined. At least one team flagged Lawson's shoulder at the NFL Draft Combine, where he justified his projection as a potential top-10 overall pick.
Lawson played through his shoulder injury last season at Clemson, and still managed to record an FBS-leading 24.5 tackles for a loss to go with 12.5 sacks. He more than doubled his previous career-highs in both categories once he was made a starter.
Per sources, Clemson DE Shaq Lawson's shoulder was flagged at the combine, and he's on the list to go back to Indy for the medical recheck.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 17, 2016
Shaq Lawson correction: That's at least a dozen teams PASSED him on physical. Sounds like 1-2 teams flagged him on shoulder. — Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) March 17, 2016
Lawson reportedly did not shy away from questions about his shoulder during combine interviews, nor did it appear to hinder his performance. Even in his most recent mock draft, which took free agent signings into account, Mel Kiper, Jr. projected Lawson to go 10th overall to the New York Giants.
Since there appears to be no evidence Lawson tried to cover up his injury, or even downplay its severity, his draft stock will likely go unaffected. Lawson also appeared unaffected by the MCL sprain that caused him to miss most of the College Football Playoff semifinal against Oklahoma and put his status for the National Champion in doubt.
Lawson played as a defensive end in Clemson's 4-3 scheme, but his speed, athleticism and talent for disrupting plays in the backfield could allow him to play linebacker in a 3-4 system. His size would make him a nightmare for tight ends and running backs to block, but he would also be able to run them down in the open field.
Lawson may have to wait for Joey Bosa or DeForrest Buckner to come off the board to get a sense of where he will be selected, but he believes it is him who should set the tone.
"I feel like I'm the best [defensive] end in this class," he said earlier this month. "Every day I trained I got better. I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to show teams how explosive I was. I feel comfortable [playing linebacker]. I felt comfortable with it when I was doing it during the linebacker drills at the Combine."
