The Undroppables - Tylan Wallace

With Tylan Wallace slipping all the way to day-3 in the NFL draft (pick 131), there is concern over Tylan’s injury history. In a Twitter thread I made back in March I outlined some concerns I had regarding Wallace. It would appear that for most NFL teams they had some of the same fears.

Injury History:

2019 Non-contact ACL Tear – Right knee
Returned the following season (roughly 11 months after surgery)
Twin Brother Tracin Wallace tore his left ACL 3 times

Brotherly Love

What most people want to know is whether or not Tylan Wallace is (1) at a higher risk for injury in the future because his brother had multiple ACL tears and (2) because he has already suffered an ACL tear. The answer to the first question is sort of.

There is research that shows a genetic predisposition to ACL tears. A systematic review from 2016 highlighted 16 separate studies that found a link between genetics and ACL tears.

There is also research suggesting that identical twins do have a higher risk for the same types of injuries – in this case, ACL tears.

Interesting question. Do identical twins have an increased risk for the same/similar injuries (in this case ACL)? I wanted to do some research on it and put the findings in a thread.
So down the rabbit hole I go…. https://t.co/Ffk1426OJH
— Ethan Turner (@ETurnerFF_PT) February 2, 2021

Future Risk

The best predictor for future injuries is past injuries. Studies show that chances of sustaining another ACL injury in a two-year window increases 4x if you have already suffered a previous ACL tear.

Knee Valgus

Because Tylan had a non-contact ACL tear I wanted to examine his average valgus angle, pre/post injury:

Pre-injury: 176*
Post-injury: 175*

There was no real difference. If you’re curious on how I examine knee valgus you can check out an old article of mine: Association Between Knee Angle and ACL Tears.

Acceleration vs. Deceleration

When a player comes back from an ACL injury I’m more concerned about their “Deceleration” as opposed to their “Acceleration.”

Deceleration is an important tool in Wallace’s route tree. 2018 pre-injury: Tylan’s ability to quickly decelerate is what sells this route.

Another Example of Tylan Wallace pre-injury, stopping on a dime.

When I watched Wallace post-injury I saw the same deceleration

With that said there were some select plays I found where Wallace was a little clumsy trying to slow down and cut back. It could be a coincidence or just an off play. But I found them interesting so I wanted to include them.

Here is another example of Wallace struggling to stop and come back on a route during the Senior bowl. He takes choppy steps. As a result, Wallace cannot turn quickly to shake the defender. Credit to @FF_Astronauts film room for the footage.

Summary

Although the research is low-level evidence (cohort/case studies), there is data that suggests a connection between ACL injuries and genetics – so it’s difficult to quantify but it should be noted that Tylan Wallace’s brother had 3 ACL tears.

For non-contact ACL tears, several biomechanical factors can predispose someone to this injury (why his brother having 3 ACL injuries is noteworthy) Data indicates he is at a higher risk for another ACL tear in the next 1-2 years.

Post-injury Tylan’s knee angle looked similar suggesting good knee stabile and return to form. I did notice some issues decelerating but that could be merely anecdotal.

What the Baltimore Ravens are getting in Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State's resilient, rebounding wide receiver – The Athletic

If you wish to see the link to the original Twitter Thread click HERE.

For a more in-depth fantasy football-driven breakdown of Tylan Wallace or any other rookie prospects, make sure you check out The Undroppables 2021 Rookie Draft Guide.

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