Israel Abanikanda hurts leg

Jets RB Israel Abanikanda left Saturday's preseason game with an injury to his right thigh. ESPN's Rich Cimini said the rookie RB was putting no weight on the leg as he left the field early in the fourth quarter. We'll look for more info on his outlook. The rookie likely wouldn't be heading for much regular-season work even if healthy, though, after the Dalvin Cook signing.

Update: HC Robert Saleh said after the game it's merely a thigh contusion, Cimini reports. This shouldn't be a long-term issue.

Jets RB Israel Abanikanda is expected to be out "a couple of weeks" with his thigh injury, HC Robert Saleh said Tuesday. When healthy, the rookie will be New York's third or fourth RB. He's off the redraft radar.

The Jets selected Pittsburgh RB Isreal Abanikanda in Round 5 of the 2023 NFL Draft. At 20 years old, Abanikanda is one of the youngest prospects in this draft class, with much room to grow. It took a while for him to get going, but he led the ACC in carries (239) and rushing yards (1,431) as a junior in 2022, in addition to an NCAA-leading 21 total TDs. While his vision near the line of scrimmage is lacking at times, Abanikanda is a true home-run hitter at his best, as evidenced by his 61 runs of 10+ yards over his last 2 college seasons at Pitt. With the suitable scheme fit and patience, we may look back on Abanikanda as one of the draft's biggest steals. This, of course, is not a great landing spot for his immediate fantasy value. Abanikanda will compete with RBs Michael Carter and Zonovan Knight for the right to back up feature back Breece Hall.

Pitt RB Israel Abanikanda chose not to test at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. We’ll have a chance to see the 5’11, 216-pound RB put his skills to the test at Pitt’s pro day scheduled for March 29th. His size is about on par with where he was listed as a collegiate athlete, so that’s 1 less piece of the puzzle to worry about as far as Abanikanda’s profile goes. Tune back in at the conclusion of March for more information.