Report: Van Jefferson To Miss NFL Combine Drills with Injury

Van Jefferson's fast-rising NFL Draft stock just hit a bump in the road.

Former Florida Gators wide receiver Van Jefferson will sit out of the 2020 NFL Combine's on-field drills after discovering a Jones fracture in his right foot during a medical evaluation, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Doctors informed Florida WR Van Jefferson that he has a Jones fracture in his right foot that was found during his combine physical, per sources. Jefferson will undergo surgery next week in Green Bay with Dr. Robert Anderson. Jefferson is projected to be sidelined 6-8 weeks.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 27, 2020

Jefferson, 23, will undergo surgery for the fracture following the Combine, seeing Dr. Robert Anderson in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Anderson is a well-known foot specialist and NFL players often come to him with foot injuries, so Jefferson should be in good hands.

A Jones fracture, professionally known as a fracture of the fifth metatarsal, is a small break on the outside of the foot that are caused by overuse, repetitive stress, or trauma, according to footheathfacts.org. 

The recovery process is expected to last six-to-eight weeks, so while the likelihood of Jefferson competing in Florida's Pro Day in March (date TBD) is slim, he should be back to full health prior or right around the NFL Draft.

Jefferson's injury previously went unnoticed and was picked up by doctors at the NFL Combine, so for all we know, Jefferson could have been playing through the injury for quite some time. He most recently dominated the 2020 Senior Bowl just last month and was planning in participating in Combine drills, so his injury is a bit curious.

Schefter reported that Jefferson might hyave been able to participate in the Combine drills regardless of the injury, but doctors advised him not to risk further damage.

After posting 84 receptions for 1160 yards and 12 touchdowns at Florida, after transferring from Ole Miss in 2017, Jefferson is widely considered a day two pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, which Schefter confirmed via league sources. Though, in such a historically deep wide receiver class, this injury could be enough to push Jefferson a bit down draft boards.

Keep up with the Florid Gators at the 2020 NFL Combine by following the SI-AllGators live blog, with constant updates and analysis from the annual event.