Originally posted by WINiner:
If he does I think you will see GM's rethinking their devaluing of injured players during the draft process. I mean really, is one season missed time worth several round drops? I understand with injury=no guarantees, but with the way modern medicine is treating these injuries they are becoming less and less of a risk.
And because if a guy doesn't show up on the active roster, the contract tolls and it essentially adds an extra year to the deal. They get to recover and get treated while becoming familiar with the players, the coaches, the playbook and then you still get a full 4 years of that player on the field after they've recovered. A guy like Lattimore is coming in as a rookie for contractual purposes but far more seasoned than your average rookie, with a better grasp of the system and with a firm understanding of the coaching staff's expectations....etc.
I think last year counted for Carradine because he was active but even with that, if he performs like he is capable of, 49ers got a top of the 1st round guy in the 2nd round.