Former Florida offensive tackle [autotag]Richard Gouraige[/autotag] was injured at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Gouraige “woke up with a swollen ankle after a pain tolerance test created an injury,” Rappoport tweeted. “He had been planning to do all drills but now won’t be able to thanks to the situation caused during his medical exams.”
After playing in both the Las Vegas Bowl and Reese’s Senior Bowl, Gouraige has seen his draft stock rise a bit, but now he won’t be able to show his physical capabilities on the field at the combine. A swollen ankle won’t hurt his long-term stock, but it’s still unfortunate timing for a player who has stayed healthy through a lot.
😓😓
— Richard Gouraige (@richardg813) March 5, 2023
He played over 1,600 snaps at left tackle for Florida over the past three seasons and served as the team’s everyday starter for the past two years. Pro Football Focus gave him an offensive grade of 70.8 in 2022, which ranks 34th overall in the country among draft-eligible tackles that played in over 500 snaps. Gouraige ranked 22nd in the nation with a 78.3 pass-blocking grade.
He shined during Senior Bowl practices as the highest-grade tackle (83.9) of the entire event. His run-blocking grade was particularly high for a player who had never truly excelled in that area while at Florida.
It’s too soon to tell where Gouraige might go in the draft, but NFL.com ranks him as the No. 16Â overall offensive tackle in the class. A 6.10 prospect grade translates to a “good backup with the potential to develop into a starter,” so there should be hope for Gouraige to get drafted.
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