saintsfan1976

One of the top overall talents in this year's draft could fall due to medical concerns.

Jones has absolutely shredded the SEC for that past two years and could make an immediate impact with Ryan's new defense.


If he's there at 15 would you take him?


Spinal stenosis - MayoClinic.com

hagan714

that is a hard pick. talent is there but the red flag is large. if i picked him i would not have any long term plans for the guy. if he makes two years and the trade value is there i would move him.

big risk in my book.

burningmetal

He is the best possible player the Saints could get, ability-wise. That's the guy I want. But there is that risk.

The Spinal Stenosis was discovered during his freshman year, when he was at Southern Cal, and he had to transfer to Georgia after the USC medical staff wouldn't clear him to play. So, considering he has played this well WITH the condition, I think he'll be fine with successful surgery.

There is the holdup, though. He hasn't had the surgery yet, so we don't know how that's gonna play out. In fact, I haven't been able to find any information on whether or not he even plans on having the surgery done.

He'd be really hard to pass on, either way.

If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, the NFL would fine and suspend me.

xan

SC staff are fraidy-cats, but knowing a bit about his condition, no way in hell.

ChrisXVI

I love the guy... Even knowing about his medical condition if we picked him come April I'd be jumping for joy. However, that wouldn't be thinking long-term and I admit that I have a bad habit of looking for instant impact instead of great long-term investments.

Danno

So I guess the question is, is it worth a 15th pick if we only get 4 or 5 solid years out of him?

ChrisXVI

Definitely a gamble, but we don't really know how long any player's career is going to last. One devestating injury and that's it. I'd take the chance... We've had high draft picks lately that haven't contributed a damn thing and they're healthy!

FinSaint

Having a genetic spinal issue myself... I'd err on the side of caution when it comes to these types of situations, so I would probably vote for pass if I had a vote.

burningmetal

If it were a degenerative problem in his spine, I wouldn't want him. I'm confident no one would even draft him if that were the case. But this is a nerve problem, related to lack of space in the spine. If he were to have the surgery and come through successfully, then I don't see any reason why he wouldn't have a long career. Or at the very least, be able to have 6-8 good years. He would simply be subject to the same risk as any other player.

He'd be worth it for that amount of time. But considering he's already waited this long, I'm not sure what teams are gonna think about him.

If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, the NFL would fine and suspend me.

papz

Still a projected top 10 pick. But if he's there, he's hard to pass up at 15. I'm honestly not concerned with his medical issues.