Saints’ Hau’oli Kikaha out for season with torn ACL

Hau’oli Kikaha will miss the upcoming season after the New Orleans Saints defensive end tore his ACL.

Second-year defensive end Hau’oli Kikaha suffered a torn ACL and will miss the 2016 NFL season, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports.

This is a tough blow for the Saints to lose the promising second-year player who was the team’s second round pick last year out of Washington.

As a rookie, Kikaha had four sacks, four forced fumbles and 33 tackles.

He led the nation in sacks during his final year with the Huskies but slid to the second round due to concerns about his speed and prior injury history.

Kikaha suffered two torn ACL’s during his college career in 2011 and 2012 but based on his 2014 production made a full recovery and his best football looked to be ahead of him.

One one hand, Kikaha knows all about the rehab process and what he’s about to enter into again, so he should be able to attack it with the same vigor and intensity he has in the past.

But on the other hand, how many times can a player recover from a torn ACL and return to peak condition to play in the NFL and be an impact performer in the NFL?

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It’s a tough blow for Kikaha to have to go through again, but hopefully, the young pass rusher will be able to recover and make a difference for the Saints defense in 2017 and beyond.

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