NFL Draft rumors: Could Jerry Jeudy's 'lingering knee issue' cause him to fall to Eagles?

With the start of NFL Draft less than 36 hours away, news and rumors surrounding the top players on most draft boards are going to be flying. 

The latest, at least as it impacts the Eagles' first-round plans, has to do with Alabama WR Jerry Jeudy. Jeudy is in that top tier of wideouts, along with CeeDee Lamb and Henry Ruggs III, that is expected to be off the board well before the Eagles pick — even though some are still holding out hope that Ruggs is there for the Birds at 21. 

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Many didn't think Jeudy would be an option for the Eagles unless they traded up quite a bit, but now, on the eve of the draft, there's a chance he could fall to the Eagles — or at least to a range that makes a trade up slightly more palatable.

And if you're thinking all this sounds too good to be true, you're not entirely wrong. After all, there has to be a reason a guy like Jeudy would suddenly start to tumble down the boards on the eve of the NFL Draft. 

On Tuesday, 97.5 The Fanatic's Natalie Egenolf reported that Jeudy had a previously undisclosed knee injury that was causing some lingering issues. A few hours later, NBC Sports Philadelphia's Derrick Gunn, who covers the team on a daily basis and is well connected at the NovaCare Complex, confirmed Nat's report that Jeudy's draft stock was slipping. 

On Wednesday morning, ESPN's Adam Schefter joined Marc Farzetta and the Fanatic morning show to discuss the latest on Jeudy. Here's what he had to say:

Schefter: I am aware of those kinds of issues, and there are various issues with various players. Look, ‘losing stock’ might be strong. Instead of 13, does he go 17? Maybe. But I think teams are going to like him or not like him, period. It’s a situation where I don’t think it’s going to have a dramatic effect on his stock. Now, all of a sudden, if we look up at the first round and he’s available at 27 or 28, then that might  be a contributing factor, but he’s still a great receiver and I don’t see it having a dramatic effect on his draft stock at all.

Farzetta: What is the knee issue?

Schefter: We’ll just say for now it’s a lingering knee issue.  [h/t crossingbroad.com]

That's ... vague. 

UPDATE: Jeudy's agent, Chris Cabott, has weighed in on Twitter.

A few hours later, Ian Rapoport shared a letter sent on behalf of Jeudy by his doctor after a pair of teams expressed concern over his knee during the NFL Draft Combine. 

So, while it seems like the concerns over Jeudy may be a bit unfounded or at least less worrisome than originally expected, it appears there was enough there for some teams to want more information.