TAMPA, Fla. -- Just over eight months ago, former LSU linebacker Kendell Beckwith was dealt a crushing blow in a game against Florida. Beckwith suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on Nov. 19, an injury that required surgery and kept him from playing in the Citrus Bowl and the Senior Bowl.
The only event he could participate in at the NFL scouting combine was the bench press.
Miraculously, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' third-round draft pick is not only out on the field practicing during training camp, but he's going all out, sideline to sideline.
What's most impressive to head coach Dirk Koetter, however, is the jump Beckwith has made since arriving in Tampa for the start of camp.
"Those first couple of days in rookie practice when it was just us out here, Kendell did not look good," Koetter admitted. "I was a little nervous, not about his knee, [but] just he looked rusty."
Beckwith was unable to participate in rookie camp, OTAs and minicamp due to the knee. But now he's at the point where he's getting work in with the second-team defense -- and looking like the Bucs' most-improved player.
"Very few guys come back that fast," Koetter said. "He has come alive in these first six practices. We’re real excited about him. He's off to a good start.”
Added former LSU and current Bucs teammate Kwon Alexander: "I'm not surprised, man. He's a dog."
Running back Adrian Peterson was back to starting games a mere nine months after tearing his ACL. That's the exception, however, and not the norm.
According to a study conducted at Northwestern University, which analyzed injuries suffered by 559 NFL athletes, the average length of time needed to recover from ACL surgery was 378 days -- over a full calendar year.
The study, which was published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, also found that those players' careers wound up being shorter as a result of an ACL injury.
So how did Beckwith come back so quickly?
"I think the rehab is the main thing that helped me out the most," Beckwith said. "I've probably been feeling good for like four or five months. I've been feeling pretty good."
What's even more impressive is how he's able to meet the specific demands of his position. A linebacker has to have a lot of knee stability in order to change directions at full speed. He is constantly shifting his body weight from one foot to the other and moving laterally in order to track down ball-carriers. He has to be able to leap up to make plays on the ball and he has to stop and accelerate.
"I don't really think about it," Beckwith admitted. "I'm more focused on trying to get everything right. My knee [is] the last thing on my mind. I just go out there, play fast, get the defense lined up and just try to get to the ball."
ACL recovery isn't just a physical hurdle, it's also a mental one. Players will often talk about the fear of getting back out there and taking that first hit. They wonder if their knee will hold up and worry about the risk of re-injuring it.
Bucs defensive end Jacquies Smith began training camp on the active/PUP list because he suffered a setback with his knee. He suffered a torn ACL in the Bucs' season opener against the Atlanta Falcons last Sept. 11.
"I've been knocked down, I've been flipping over people out there -- there's really no [fear]," Beckwith said. "I feel like it's strong enough. I feel like it will hold up. I'm not worried about it at all."
Beckwith rehabbed every day in the LSU weight room and later at EXOS at the Andrews Institute in Pensacola. He began progressing to more field work and focused on strengthening his hamstrings, his quads and his calf muscles.
He also focused on unilateral training, working one leg at a time, something he still emphasizes as a form of "pre-hab."
"I always make sure I'm working on both legs to make sure I'm balanced," Beckwith said. "I feel pretty balanced on each side. ... I treated this leg like it wasn't injured."
The goal has now shifted to getting Mike Smith's defense down pat. He was able to get mental reps in during the time he was sidelined, but now he's taking the physical reps with his teammates.
"I feel pretty caught up right now," Beckwith said. "I'm feeling pretty confident. Each day I just want to come out and get better and better. I just want to give it my all and just really work on trying to be as perfect as possible."
The Bucs play their first preseason game Friday in Cincinnati.