Heart Issue Reportedly Contributed to Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah’s NFL Draft Fall
The biggest Notre Dame related surprise from this past weekend’s NFL Draft was the fall of Butkus Award-winning linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to #52 overall. It was believed that the only reason for the draft tumble was related to his size, but according to NFL insider Adam Schefter, a heart issue discovered late in the draft process also contributed.
Thankfully for Owusu-Koramoah, the issue was discovered by doctors, and that they did ultimately clear him so that he can continue his career. JOK’s Draft fall makes a little more sense now since his size was not a surprise to anyone and his projections were almost universally for being a mid-first round selection.
Cleveland fans were beyond excited to get a player they have already started referring to as their “Lamar Stopper”. Lamer being Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. The former Heisman winner and his Ravens team are Cleveland’s toughest competition in the AFC North even though the Pittsburgh Steelers won the division this past year.
While it is still unfortunate for Owusu-Koramoah that he fell to the 2nd round and lost out on millions of dollars in his first contact – the difference between mid-1st round and mid-2nd round is probably between $7-8 million over four years. On the bright side, he will be eligible for his second contract a year earlier by being a second-rounder. NFL teams hold options that tend to be more team-friendly for a rookie’s fifth year for first-rounders.
Most importantly for Owusu-Koramoah, doctors reportedly discovered the issue and that it wasn’t serious otherwise he likely would not have been cleared.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
This was so messed up. Oh it was a minor concern that doctors cleared him medically but reported last minute to teams to impact his draft status. That is so messed up for first round talent. What were doctors telling him during his entire college career?