PISCATAWAY – Had Tyreem Powell not suffered a wrist injury in Rutgers football’s win over Indiana last season, he almost certainly wouldn’t be wearing a Scarlet Knights uniform in 2024.

Instead the Vineland native would be at the next level playing on Sundays.

“He was literally a Top 50 pick,” coach Greg Schiano said after his teams’ 26-19 win over Minnesota on Saturday. “Every person that was coming into this building and coming to our practices, every scout, that's who they wanted to talk about. His stock was going through the roof.”

The injury essentially forced the linebacker to postpone his NFL dreams for one more year – only to suffer an Achilles injury in the winter that led him to miss the first three games this season, then suffer another injury that’s limited him.

So the fact that Powell managed to play 66 snaps against Minnesota and eventually make the play of the game?

That’s a big deal for the Scarlet Knights’ defense, which played its best game of the season on Saturday and will look to keep that momentum going when Rutgers plays at Maryland on Saturday (6 p.m., FS1).

“I still feel bad for him because he's probably 85 percent,” Schiano said. “He's still not 100 percent, but him at 85 is better than most at 100.”

Powell finished with eight tackles. But his biggest play came in the fourth quarter when he forced the ball loose from Golden Gophers tight end Jameson Geers at the Minnesota 10-yard line that Shaquan Loyal recovered at the 12.

That set up Rutgers’ go-ahead touchdown.

“Tyreem is a pro football player, so when he is in there, it steadies a lot of things,” Schiano said. “He's a 250-pound guy that when he hits the linemen, he knocks them back. He has great snap.”

That being said, a healthier Powell is a major boost for Rutgers’ defense the final three games.

“This year has definitely been frustrating, trying to stay healthy,” Powell said after the win. “I want to be out there for my teammates and my brothers. It was hard being out there limping around. But I got healthy this past bye week and I felt back to myself.”

Powell couldn’t say if it was as good as he felt all season, but admitted he felt “pretty good.”

Schiano said he kept asking Powell during the game if he was feeling OK, and Powell kept saying, “I’m good.”

Rutgers needed him against Minnesota.

Now it needs him against Maryland.

“He made some real big-time plays,” Schiano said.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers football: Tyreem Powell, NFL linebacker prospect, nears top form