University of Washington cornerback Sidney Jones suffered a torn Achilles at his Pro Day earlier this month, but he is optimistic about his return. Jones had his surgery, and upon completion, he said the doctor told him “I will for sure be playing this upcoming season.”
Surgery was great ✊
— Sidney Jones IV (@SidneyJonesIV) March 21, 2017
The doctor said that I will for sure be playing this upcoming season #DontCountMeOut
After his injury, some draft analysts thought Jones might drop as far into the third or fourth round. It’s a deep cornerback class, and teams might be less willing to roll the dice on a cornerback coming off a torn Achilles when they think they can find a healthy, solid talent anyway.
A torn Achilles can cost significant time, but Jones returning by some point in his rookie year would not be unprecedented. Michael Crabtree tore his Achilles in May 2013, and after missing the first 11 games of the 2013 season, he played in the final five games of the regular season. He looked like a guy recovering from a serious injury, but he was productive in his return.
My guess is Jones spends his rookie year on the NFI list. It is entirely possible he works his way back before the end of the year, but teams often seem hesitant to push too hard on a player after such a significant injury. And if he does end up slipping into late day two or even day three of the draft, it might make teams even less likely to push too hard to get him back.