04-05-2021, 06:43 PM
This coming week is a big one for teams, with the “medical combine” set to start on Wednesday in Indianapolis. It’ll give the Jaguars a chance to get an update on Trevor Lawrence’s surgically repaired (left) shoulder, and everyone a shot to see how the recoveries of players like Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle (broken ankle) and Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley (back surgery) are coming. In all, 150 prospects are invited, and it’s a very important checkpoint for teams that would usually get all the medical information they need through the February combine, annual April medical recheck and allotment of 30 in-house visits for which they could fly players in. This is really going be the only shot, with teams allowed to send two people (team physician and an orthopedic specialist) in for the “event.” Even tougher will be assessing guys who are banged up and not invited. Those who were on the combine list in February but aren’t going to Indy this week can get, through the league, virtual physicals. But teams are going to be leery of nicked-up players that their doctors can’t examine, and that certainly could have an effect on the draft stock of certain guys.