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There's a good story by Paul Dehner Jr with the Cincinnati Enquirer, drawing a comparison between Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz and Cedric Ogbuehi, who was selected in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft... Then again, anything involving Anthony Munoz in a relatable world with kids is always fun. The comparison relates to their respective knee injuries during their final year in college .
During his final season at USC in 1979, Munoz suffered a knee injury in the first game and - despite working his way back to play in a bowl game to close out his career - he only played in eight games due to injury his junior and senior seasons. Still, the Bengals happily took a chance that year with the third overall pick.
"You hear that and you just kind of chuckle," Munoz said. "Nobody gave me a chance, one game my senior year, missed the whole season. I hear he's a hard worker. All you can do is just rehab and get back to his form and get ready.
Ogbuehi faces the unenviable task of being described as anything from a steal to a bust. Will Cincinnati get the player that impressed them prior to the ACL injury during the Liberty Bowl? Or will Ogbuehi fail to reward their faith in a player who was viewed as a top-10 selection prior to his injury?
In addition to that... even if Ogbuehi plays this season, you have to consider how effective he'll be -- yes kemosabe, we're addressing the Geno Atkins comparison. Should we immediately judge on the season following an ACL injury, or the season after that? When players are forced to repair a significant ligament, it takes most of that offseason to accomplish. A healthy player, on the other hand, can spend the offseason training.