Nick Fairley: Should Detroit Lions Fans Be Concerned About Their Injured Rookie?

Nick Fairley was drafted No. 13 overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2011 NFL draft.

Unlucky number 13, perhaps?

Well, just how lucky the Lions will be with Fairley is still a long way from being determined, but let’s just say that he hasn’t gotten off to a good start.

Fairley is probably going to miss all of training camp with a break in his left foot that required surgery this Wednesday.

He injured the foot during practice on Monday morning during a special teams drill. He was in a walking boot on Tuesday and was reportedly doing fine, and then news came out Wednesday that he was flown down to a specialist down in Charlotte, according to a report by Chris McCosky of the Detroit News:

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"The examination of Nick Fairley's foot today by Dr. Bob Anderson (in Charlotte, N.C.) resulted in a diagnosis consistent with that of Lions' team physicians that surgical correction was required," the Lions said in a prepared statement. "Accordingly, surgery was successfully performed (Wednesday afternoon) by Dr. Anderson.

"Nick is expected to miss a significant portion of training camp."

Lions coach Jim Schwartz would not comment on Fairley's injury after practice Wednesday, only to say the team had sent him to Charlotte for further diagnosis. But on his Twitter account later in the day, after the surgery, Schwartz wrote, "Tough news today for Nick. Obviously he won't be able to practice, so he'll have to put in a lot of class time until he's back on the field.

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It’s worth nothing that Fairley is only going to miss a few weeks and should be ready to go by the regular season if not by the pre-season, but this can’t be good news for Lions fans.

Fairley was a guy who was labeled as a “high-risk, high-reward” player in the weeks before the draft, but he was still considered to be a top-five pick. Some analysts thought he was good enough to go number one overall.

Yet on draft day, Fairley fell all the way to the Detroit Lions at No. 13.

Granted, Fairley was a steal for the Lions, who definitely weren’t expecting a player with his talent to fall, but why did so many teams pass on him in the first place?

The draft was shaken up by a few unpredictable trades and surprising quarterback picks, but there were still quite a few teams who could have used Fairley’s services.

Is there some reason Lions fans should be concerned Nick Farley fell as far as he did?

Before the draft, there were concerns about Fairley’s work ethic and his overall consistency on the field. Evan Silva of NBC Sports reports ESPN director of college scouting Todd McShay’s take on Fairley leading up to the draft:

"ESPN director of college scouting Todd McShay took it a step further in a Wednesday morning conference call with the media. McShay, who previously described himself as “blown away” by Fairley’s March 8 Pro Day, now believes Fairley has the potential to be a colossal flop at the next level.

“The more you watch Fairley on tape, the more worried you get he’ll be a bust,” said McShay, who also questioned Fairley’s work ethic and consistency. “He has a chance to be a bust.”

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There was also a ton of talk that Fairley was perhaps a “one-year wonder,” being that his resume really only includes his impressive final season at Auburn.

Fairley's injury doesn't mean the sky is falling for the Lions, because in reality they will be just fine without him.

The defensive front is arguably the deepest part of their team, so Fairley's potential layoff is not going to impact the defense that much.

However, his health may be something Lion fans should be worried about. This injury is just something else to add to the list of potential problems that are compiling around their No. 1 pick.

When he is able to get back onto the field he is going to be weeks behind the rest of his teammates, and that is the best-case scenario, assuming there will be no lasting effects of the injury to his foot.

On the bright side, this could be a chance for Fairley to prove his doubters wrong.

A player's work ethic is often best revealed when he is injured. If Fairley rehabs hard and  takes the time to become a student of the game while he is out, he just might come back as a better player and all this will be null and void.

If it’s apparent he did not take advantage of this time, though, this could turn into a very long rookie season for the somewhat controversial rookie.

Lions fans have all the information, know all the red flags and can see the best and worst case scenarios.

Are they concerned about Nick Fairley?

Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AKonSports