Bryce Love learned the toughest lesson about the risk of football
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INDIANAPOLIS ā Bryce Love swears he has no regrets.
If he did, you couldnāt blame him.
Love is the former Stanford star who would have undoubtedly been one of top picks in last yearās NFL draft after rushing for 2,118 yards as a junior.
Heās also the running back at the NFL scouting combine who canāt run the 40-yard dash this weekend if he wanted to, as he rehabs a surgically repaired right knee.
Talk about the risks of football. Love returned for his senior year, rather than enter the draft. It was a noble decision, fueled in part by plans to someday become a pediatrician, that most pro-ready players in his position probably would not have made. Then he tore his ACL in his final regular-season game.
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āInjuries are a part of the game,ā Love reflected Thursday. āThe big thing is that ACLs arenāt what they used to be. You can point to the success of a lot of different backs in the NFL right now that had knee surgery and went through some things. Beyond that, Iām ready to go when Iām ready to go.ā
That all makes Love one of the most intriguing subplots of the draft. It wasnāt too long ago when the Los Angeles Rams gambled on Todd Gurley, picking him 10th overall as he came off reconstructive knee surgery. Gurley got healthy to juice one of the NFLās most prolific offenses, earned NFL offensive player of the year honors and struck a deal on a whopping contract extension (4 years, $57.5 million).
The same knee, though, became such an issue for Gurley down the stretch last season and is Exhibit A in trying to comprehend Gurleyās disappearance in the Super Bowl LIII against the Patriots.
Perhaps Love, 21, will rebound to the point that his setback is a mere footnote on the way to a glorious NFL career. He maintains that, after renowned surgeon James Andrews operated on Dec. 18, heās ahead of schedule with his rehab ā which is something youāve probably heard a few times.
Heās running in a pool now. Balancing on a single leg. Progress. Yeah, ACL tears are not what they used to be. Yet every team in the league will have to trust its projections, and upgrade the medical reports, in assessing a draft grade ā much like teams had to do in 2015 when Gurley came out of Georgia. By his estimation, Love is still at least five months away from hitting the field.
āIām far along,ā he said. āEverybody says theyāre ahead of the game. In my mind, I truly am. I feel great. Iām excited about where I am. Right now, the timetable is to be ready by mid-training camp. So, Iāll be ready for the season.ā
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Even before the torn ACL, Loveās stock wasnāt nearly robust as it was last year, given the significant drops in rushing yards (to 739) rushing average (4.4, from 8.1) and touchdowns (6, from 19). Now those markers are stacked alongside the rehab benchmarks.
Listening to Love, though, it was obvious that this is one man wired with positivity. His position coach from Stanford, Ron Gould, can vouch for that. Gould stopped by the Indiana Convention Center for a quick visit, and they chuckled about Love demonstrating more patience as a runner last season.
Well, heās forced to be more patient in another sense, with the start of his NFL career wrapped in knee rehab. Gould, too, senses that Love isnāt bemoaning the big decision from last year, when he maintained that spending another year on a college campus with his close friends, in addition to earning a degree in human biology, was at the foundation of a desire to put the NFL paycheck on hold.
Now, though, that NFL paycheck could be worth millions less on a rookie deal.
āHeās a big-picture guy,ā Gould told USA TODAY, pondering Loveās decision to return for a senior season. āHe did his due diligence. Once he made the decision, because he thought things through, he lives with what the consequences are.ā
Still, the twist on Loveās journey illustrate how cruel the risks can be.
Just donāt expect to hear Love moaning about what couldāve, shouldāve or wouldāve happened if he had turned pro after his junior year. Instead, he points to lessons heās learned from his biggest influences along the way, including his parents, brother and coaches ā the theme that was thoroughly tested when he learned the severity of his knee injury.
āOne of the biggest things they taught me was just not to dwell on things,ā he said. āMove on and accept what they are. When I heard the news, I was probably upset for 10 minutes, probably less than that. After that, I was ready to get the surgery done. I was ready to get to work.ā
With quite the reality check as life looms in the NFL, where nothing is guaranteed.
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.
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