Maurice Hurst’s performance in college made him worthy of a first-round pick, but a heart condition dropped his value in the 2018 NFL draft. The Oakland Raiders eventually selected him in the fifth round, and that decision is being met with scorn.
According to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, one NFL source said he hoped Hurst would never put on a helmet again and added it was “irresponsible” of Oakland to draft the defensive tackle.
An unnamed head coach added a pointed criticism of the franchise.
“Only the Raiders would draft a guy who could literally die on the field from a known condition.”
Although Hurst previously was cleared by cardiologists, the extent of the heart issue has not been released. That personal information doesn’t need to be public, either.
Still, the passionate reactions from Miller’s sources are curious.
If, despite being cleared, Hurst’s heart condition is serious, that’s a huge problem. But if the doctors made the right decision — and we’re in no position to argue — the anger feels misdirected.
As football fans, we can only hope Hurst is medically prepared to continue playing.