Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina
Similar to the recent buzz around quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, reporting in the past 24 hours or so has turned around what looked to be Javon Kinlaw’s rise to the top of the defensive tackle board.
Kinlaw started generating draft buzz in the buildup to the Senior Bowl. Once draft analysts started diving deeper into his game tape in preparation for the week in Mobile, they loved what they saw: An explosive, long defensive tackle with the ability to disrupt the pocket when the opposing quarterback drops to pass, but the lower body strength and ability to anchor that enables him to be a force against the run. Then Kinlaw showed up in Mobile, and looked like the best football player at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
For many, this moved him above Derrick Brown in their interior defensive tackle rankings. It did just that for this author. But then, the smoke started to form. Kinlaw’s Senior Bowl week was cut short due to a knee injury. Then, Kinlaw chose not to work out at the Combine, stating he would wait until his Pro Day.
Which, like Tyler Johnson’s, was canceled due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Then reports surfaced this week that Kinlaw’s injury history is a bit more complex. Bryan Broaddus, a former NFL scout who now works for 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, reported this week that the Dallas Cowboys are out on Kinlaw, given a hip injury from his past that required labrum surgery after the 2018 season.
This suddenly cloudy medical history darkens the prospects for Kinlaw. Now, of course this is “lying season,” when tall tales are told in the hopes that players perhaps fall in the draft, perhaps to the team circulating the rumors. One never knows what to believe when it comes to the pre-draft rumors. But this is not a rosy medical picture being painted, and it makes one wary when considering Kinlaw at the top of the first round.