One day after burning up the Combine, we learned some potentially damaging news about wide receiver Julio Jones.
Charley Casserly reported on NFL Network Monday that medical tests at the Combine revealed Jones will require surgery for his foot. It’s pretty amazing Jones was able to run a 4.39 forty anyway, but this must have been a pre-existing injury the wideout simply wasn’t aware of while training for Indianapolis.
Jones’ strong Combine effort seemingly helped to solidify his standing as a likely top-15 pick. We heard similar optimism at this time last year about Demaryius Thomas’ broken foot, which remained a problem for him after Denver drafted him. Michael Crabtree, on the other, had a similar injury and enjoyed a productive rookie year.
While Casserly reports Jones should be able to recover in eight weeks, this news won’t help Jones’ stock.
Then again, perhaps the injury will bother NFL teams less because they may not be practicing anyway for a lot longer than eight weeks.