Report: Michigan DT Maurice Hurst diagnosed with heart condition, will not drill at NFL Combine

Michigan defensive tackle Maurice Hurst came to Indianapolis this week in the hopes to solidify his draft stock as a first-round prospect. Unfortunately, quite the opposite has happened. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, during the medical examination portion of the NFL Combine, Hurst was diagnosed with a heart condition and will not run any of the drills:

Obviously, we’ll have to wait until Hurst goes through more testing to see how severe this condition is, but NFL Draft Scout’s Dane Brugler is reporting that several teams are “very” concerned.

It’s hard not to conjure up thoughts about former Detroit Lions pick Nick Fairley, who was diagnosed with a heart condition last year, and has all but retired since. However, it’s too quick to rush to judgement. As pointed out by SB Nation’s Alex Kirshner, Star Lotulelei was given a similar diagnosis in the 2013 NFL Combine and was later cleared. Lotulelei was still selected in the first round of that draft and has since been a five-year starter for the Carolina Panthers.

Hurst entered the week as one of the top defensive tackle prospects in the class and a legitimately realistic pick for the Lions in the first round. Hopefully, it remains that way, but first, let’s just hope he’s okay.