For months, Jerry Jeudy has been considered the best wide receiver prospect in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft. The Philadelphia Eagles desperately need help at the wide receiver position. On paper, they’re a perfect fit. But with one catch: the Eagles pick 21st overall in the first round of the draft, and Jeudy is expected to be long gone by then.
Unless he isn’t.
On Tuesday, just two days before the first round of the draft, reports started to come out that Jeudy had “knee issues” that could cause him to fall in the NFL Draft. Natalie Egenolf of 97.5 The Fanatic was first with the report:
And she was quickly followed by Derrick Gunn of NBC Sports, who reported hearing the same:
But are the Jerry Jeudy rumors legit?
We are, of course, in the crazy period of wild rumors that occurs every year just before the NFL Draft. But these are two verified personalities not known for spreading misinformation and who have little to gain and much to lose. They aren’t just making this up. Even if this information is being leaked by a team hoping that Jeudy falls in the draft, they are hearing it from somewhere.
There are, of course, unreliable reporters out there who attempt to gain clicks and a following with “takes” and “reports.” Natalie and Derrick are not those reporters. And if their word isn’t good enough for you, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter appeared on the same network Natalie works for on Wednesday morning and confirmed that he has heard something similar. While he also shared that he does not believe current Eagles wideout Alshon Jeffery will be traded, he also touched on the Jerry Jeudy knee injury:
Could Jeudy fall all the way to the Eagles at No. 21?
In short, probably not. But what was considered impossible a week ago now might just be…improbable? For his part, Schefter doesn’t think that the knee injury will have a “dramatic effect” on Jeudy’s stock:
So while Jerry Jeudy falling all the way to 21 on Thursday is possible, it still doesn’t sound like it is likely. While some opinions differ, the general consensus on wide receiver rankings heading into the draft has been Jeudy at the top followed by CeeDee Lamb, Henry Ruggs III, and then Justin Jefferson. Unless the Eagles move up from the 21st spot, all four could be off the board by the time they pick.
Update: NFL insider Ian Rapoport has weighed in on Jerry Jeudy’s knee. He says two teams expressed concern about it during the combine, and Jeudy’s doctor wrote a letter about it to all 32 teams:
And adds that he has not spoken to a team that believes knee issues will affect Jeudy’s NFL career:
