Feb. 6 (UPI) — Right tackle Ryan Schraeder could be seen hopping off of the field in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 51.
On Monday, ESPN’s Vaughn McClure reported that the Atlanta Falcons lineman tore a ligament in his ankle. The 28-year-old is expected to avoid surgery and should be healthy again in about a month, according to McClure.
Schraeder originally suffered the injury in the second quarter, but toughed it out until the final frame.
The Falcons signed Schraeder to a five-year, $32 million contract extension in November. Schraeder entered the NFL in 2013 as an undrafted free agent.
Schraeder has an interesting story, which Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star wrote about this weekend. After graduating high school, Schraeder didn’t play football, opting to work at a meatpacking plant in Wichita. Schraeder also didn’t play football in high school, deciding to pickup the game after hitting a growth spurt.
“I started growing into this guy — I looked like a big Gronkowski tight end and I was like, ‘Man, I have to do something with myself,’ ” Schraeder told Paylor. “I was an athlete my whole life and I felt like I was missing something. ”
Schraeder now stands at 6 foot, 7 inches and 300 pounds. He has been a starter for three consecutive seasons.
