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There's no denying that Sergio Kindle is a talented player.
He posted 16 sacks in his junior and senior seasons combined, and had 27.5 tackles for loss during that time frame.
But talent aside, there are questions surrounding the Ravens' first pick of the 2010 draft.
Kindle has had four procedures on his right knee, and there have been reports that he will need microfracture surgery based on the current state of the knee. Kindle's medical situation was enough of an issue that some teams reportedly took him off their draft board.
While the Ravens are obviously aware of Kindle's medical history, they aren't concerned.
"I think we have probably one of the most conservative medical staffs in the league," GM Ozzie Newsome said. "[There are] a lot of players that have gotten drafted today and yesterday that we couldn't have drafted. When [the trainers] give us a medical grade, they are in the 98th and 99th percentile.
"We talked to Bill T. [Tessendorf, head trainer] today, and there is no need for any microfracture surgery at this point."
For what it's worth, Kindle agrees with that assessment.
"I don't think I need to have [surgery]," he said in a conference call with the Baltimore media. "I guess once I get there, I'll let them look at it again and see what needs to happen, but I feel like I can go practice once the time comes."
Kindle also has narcolepsy and A.D.D.; conditions which DeCosta said did not play a part in the Ravens' war room discussions.
"If it was a concern, we probably wouldn't have picked him," DeCosta said.
On top of the medical issues, Kindle also has experienced some off-field incidents which have brought more of a cloud over him.
The first was a DUI in 2007: "I just made a poor decision of getting in the car after having some drinks, and that was my fault," Kindle said.
The second was another driving incident that took place in 2009: "You know, it just was a dumb decision on my part," Kindle said. "I was just texting and driving and having bad judgment."
The Ravens did research into Kindle's off-field actions, and they got their information from an inside source.
"Will Muschamp, the defensive coordinator is a very close personal friend of [Ravens director of college scouting] Joe Hortiz," Newsome said. "So we are able to get information out of the University of Texas like no other organization can because of that relationship."
Newsome, DeCosta, Hortiz and the rest of the Ravens' front office got plenty of information, and reportedly heard what they needed to hear.
