When Marcus Lattimore went down with a gruesome leg injury during the 2012 college football season, many wondered if he would ever play the game again. After a successful surgery to repair a torn ACL, PCL and LCL, he has been on the mend and determined to get back on the field. Now, Lattimore is proving every one wrong, saying he will be ready to play Week 1 of the 2013 season and many teams are now considering him as a high draft pick.
Lattimore told USA Today that he feels his body needs possibly three more months before he is back to 100 percent health, but he will be ready by the time the season kicks off. After falling to injury back in November, Lattimore has done nothing but rehab paired with more rehab in an effort to get healthy. At the NFL Combine and at South Carolina's Pro Day, he should NFL scouts just how far he had come. He worked out in front of scouts, doing rehab drills and proving he was well on his way back to playing football.
Lattimore was a star at South Carolina and if it was not for the injury, he would have likely been a top-10 draft pick based on team needs. Before the injury, he had already rushed for 662 yards and 11 touchdowns halfway through the season. Prior to his Pro Day, he was considered a wild card draft pick at best. With his the status of his health unknown, Lattimore was considered a sixth-round pick at best. Now, at least four teams are showing interest in the running back as a high draft pick. He has taken visits to the New England Patriots, St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. All four teams have been assumed to take a running back at some point in the draft.
Lattimore was especially impressed with his visit to the Patriots. He spoke very highly of head coach Bill Belichick.
"I like him. That was a real good visit. He's straight up with you. He knows everything about you before you walk in the room. It was great to meet him. They win, and you see why they win. Just the whole staff is really competitive," Lattimore said.
Dr. James Andrews who performed the surgery on Lattimore's leg recently spoke on the running back's health, saying he was at least twice as far along in the recovery process than originally expected. Andrews believes Lattimore will be ready for the NFL season by July.
