Latest NFL Draft intel suggests Georgia TE Oscar Delp may be tougher than we realized

This just stinks. There is no other way around it. For as great as Oscar Delp was in front of the media in the earliest stages of the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, he is not going to be taking part in any of the combine drills this weekend. According to Zach Klein of WSB, "Georgia Bulldogs TE Oscar Delp can't go through combine drills here in Indy due to liability issues." Oh, wait there is even more!

Apparently, Delp played all of last year with a hairline fracture in his foot that he did not know about.

Klein reiterated that the hairline fracture in his foot was only found during a routine X-ray. Obviously, Delp wanted to take part in the NFL Combine drills, but he is not going to be allowed to now. He is now expected to be able to do everything that he was hoping for at Georgia's pro day in a few weeks. That will be on March 18 over in Athens. We have to wonder if this will impact his draft stock in some ways.

Entering the NFL Scouting Combine, Delp was seen as a fourth to sixth-round NFL Draft prospect.

Oscar Delp unable to participate in NFL Combine over injury concerns

One of the biggest issues some NFL talent evaluators have about Delp is why was he not overly productive at Georgia. It is part of the problem of Mike Bobo calling plays for a defensive-minded head coach in Kirby Smart. Add in the fact that Georgia had a bevy of different pass-catchers for Gunner Stockton to throw the ball to, and there you go. It is why Delp might be a better pro player.

Unfortunately, there are teams who may red flag him over these silly injury concerns. How is this his fault? He had no idea he even played through a hairline fracture in his foot! Conversely, there may be a team or two out there who may low-key dig this. "This guy is a baller, and we definitely need him on our team!" Regardless, guys like Delp dream of competing in the combine, but it is no longer the case.

Ultimately, we are looking at Delp probably coming off the board in the fifth round. The chances of him potentially cracking the ranks of being a day-two pick are probably cooked. The good news is Delp's all-around skill set should work within the context of many NFL offenses. There was another former fifth-round pick who was only seen as a blocking tight end coming out in one George Kittle.

If Delp's NFL career is even a third as good as what Kittle's has been, then he will be worth the pick.