N/S: Adrian Clayborn Medical Problems (1 Viewer)

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One NFL scout tells SI's Don Banks that Iowa DE Adrian Clayborn is "probably going to slip some" in the draft because of his arm problems.
Clayborn's right arm is smaller than his left arm, and he suffered a broken collarbone at birth. "His right arm is mal-developed to a degree," the scout said. "He's left-hand dominant because of it ... and that may be why he always played at right end in college and never moved around. The combine is real important for him. He's probably going to slip."
Iowa DE Adrian Clayborn revealed on PFT Live Wednesday that he will not bench press at the Combine.

This comes on the heels of Wednesday's ESPN 101 report that Clayborn suffers from "Erb's Palsy," which caused nerve damage throughout the right side of his body, including Clayborn's arm. Clayborn acknowledged to Mike Florio that he has the condition and is also dealing with a shoulder injury. Whether the Erb's Palsy and arm problem are related is unknown.

Per rotoworld.com

I'm not a medical expert but none of that sounds good. He never missed any playing time because of those problems but it's something to keep an eye out for at the combine. He's a potential medical red flag.
 
If he's excelled and never missed anytime for it, I don't see why a team would pass on him. It's like a player with sickle cell trait. You know they have it and it may have never have affected them before. But it's just something you take note of.
 
To clarify, the right arm being underdeveloped and the nerve damage were the result of the broken clavicle and compression of the brachial plexus innervating the arm at birth. It's not a progressive disease but a problem he's always had. The nerve damage "throughout his body" in the second article is probably largely localized to muscles of his right shoulder and arm unless other nerves unrelated to the broken clavicle were also damaged during a difficult birth. It's pretty remarkable that he could overcome that to be a sometimes dominant player at the major college football level. This isn't something that should affect his ability to play at the level that gave him a late first-early second round grade--I mean the guy, bad arm at all, was an absolute monster last year. Whether this affects his versatility to play both sides of the line is a legitimate question, however.
 
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it doesnt help him - thats for sure. i doubt it caught too many scouts by surprise, but learning his capabilities will be important. its nice to be able to move guys around, go both sides in case of injuries, or it might even limit some of his inside/outside moves at the next level.

just a matter of how big the gap between the two arms is.
 
It has not held him back to this point but it does not hurt him. Clayborn has a lot of question marks gonig into this combine. First, there are off-the-field concerns and teams will want to make sure they are not investing a high draft pick in a problem player.

Second, Clayborn has been inconsistent. After a spectacular 2009 season, he had a very subpar 2010. His sacks went down as well as his tackles for losses. He clearly did not live up to the expectations coming into the season and left many scouts with more questions than answers. He flashes well, and his size is impressive. But the fall off in production, much like the case with Aldon Smith, is a huge concern.

Finally, Clayborn is not the quick off the edge and plays a bit stiff at times. While he can play the run, the question scouts will have when they look at his tape is can he turn the corner and rush the passer. If he can, and he is able to show solid speed in the combine drills (not talking 40, but lateral quickness, fluidity, etc), then he will be considered highly in terms of being a prospect by 4-3 teams. If he cannot do that, teams will look at him as a 5-tech and throw him into a 3-4 defense. Or worse, some team 4-3 might fall in love with him and draft him anyway, only to find that he's not the pass-rusher they may have expected. In some ways, he reminds me a bit of Charles Grant, which means he'll likely be a player that has some flashes here and there but who might not develop into a perennial standout.

So, with those questions in mind, the medical problems might hurt his draft stock. For other players whose character, consistency, fit, and production are not being questioned, it probably would not be as big a deal.

One other thought in general about this draft. Everyone raves about the number of defensive linemen who might go in the first round. But the more I evaluate some of these guys, the more question marks I seem to come up with. I am particularly not high on Clayborn and I have questions about Aldon Smith and Allen Bailey. I think as second round prospects, hey, no problem. But these guys will likely put up huge combine numbers and get overdrafted, especially Smith. There are question marks that scouts have about Ryan Kerrigan as well and I can understand some of them. To me, however, the kid has been consistent in his production and plays with a lot of heart and tenacity. He seems to want it even as I am able to recognize that he does not possess some of the physical gifts that other players, such as Smith and Bailey, possess. All in all, I think this draft, five years from now, might be memorable for all the defensive linemen who are unproductive. There will be some first round guys who do well. And I would not be surprised to see some of the guys taken later outperform the first rounders. I like Greg Romeus, Jabaal Sheard, Kenrick Ross, Sione Fua, etc. I think some of these guys will develop into solid players. But if 9 defensive linemen go in the first, I would not be surprised if only 3 or 4 become are productive and only 1 or 2 become a bona fide star.
 
Per rotoworld.com

I'm not a medical expert but none of that sounds good. He never missed any playing time because of those problems but it's something to keep an eye out for at the combine. He's a potential medical red flag.
In the Big Ten, birth deformities are the norm...
 

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