NFL Draft 2019 Rumors: Bryce Love's Stiff Knee Has Raised Red Flag for Teams

There are reportedly medical concerns about Stanford running back Bryce Love's knee leading up to Thursday's NFL draft.

On Friday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported there are "red flags" about how stiff Love's knee is after the reconstructive surgery he underwent for his torn ACL. There are fears it will take him some time to rediscover the explosiveness he showed at times during his collegiate career, if he regains it at all.

Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports first reported Love suffered a torn ACL during Stanford's season finale against the rival California Golden Bears and underwent surgery with Dr. James Andrews on Dec. 18.

"I'm very grateful to Dr. Andrews and his team for making the surgery a seamless process," Love said in a statement, per Thamel. "Obviously, there's no such thing as an ideal injury, but I'm on the path to recovery, and my goal remains the same—getting drafted by an NFL team and being the ultimate professional. I'll be back better than I've ever been."

Love appeared well on his way to an NFL career in 2017 when he finished second behind Baker Mayfield in Heisman Trophy voting as an unstoppable offensive force. He won the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and the Doak Walker Award as the best running back in the country behind 2,118 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.

However, he experienced a dropoff in 2018 behind a struggling offensive line.

His yards per carry went from 8.1 to just 4.5, and he finished with 739 rushing yards and six touchdowns. It was one of the most surprising individual performances in the country during the 2018 campaign, as he was widely expected to challenge for another Heisman as one of the best players at the collegiate level.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranked Love as the 15th-best running back in the draft and a fourth-round pick but pointed to his "small frame and injury history" as some of the concerns leading into the draft.

That apparently hasn't changed.