South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore will enter the 2013 NFL Draft, according to a source close to Lattimore. The official announcement is expected to come as early as Wednesday.
It’s hard to forget the injury that ended Lattimore’s season. Lattimore suffered tears to the ACL and LCL in a devastating October injury. Prior to the injury, Lattimore was expected to be the top back in April’s draft. Lattimore battled back from an ACL tear in 2011 on his way to 662 yards and 11 TD’s this season.
Clearly, Lattimore won’t be the top back but he’s going to garner interest especially if he can speed up the recovery process, which is said to be ahead of schedule. Lattimore is off crutches and hopes to be jogging by March. At this point, it’s unlikely that Lattimore would play in 2013 but teams could be looking at the upside of having him back fully healthy in 2014.
From Lattimore’s standpoint this was the only option. He will be rehabbing with an NFL team, top doctors and getting paid for it.
Lattimore’s draft stock is tough to speculate on at this point. But with the Bills taking Willis McGahee in the first round, nothing is out of the question. At 6’0″, 225 pounds Lattimore has the all around game to intrigue scouts as a three-down back in the NFL. He lacks game-breaking speed but makes up for it his blend of power, instincts, and one-cut ability.
The multiple knee injuries probably keep Lattimore out of the first round but he becomes worth the risk later on day of the draft. Especially with the lack of overall quality in the running back class of 2013.
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