Potential First Round Pick Jaelen Strong Needs Surgery
Arizona State Wide Receiver and rumored first round draft pick Jaelen Strong reportedly broke a small bone in his wrist. The broken bone will require surgery, according to NFL Networks Ian Rapoport. There is no publicly known surgery date or known timetable for recovery.
Potential 1st round Arizona St WR Jaelen Strong has a fractured bone in his wrist, sources say. Likely needs surgery at some point.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 15, 2015
#ASU WR Jaelen Strong is among players headed for combine rechecks this weekend. Teams want a status update on the small bone in his wrist
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 15, 2015
This is not the first significant injury Strong has suffered since joining the Sun Devils. In 2014, he suffered a concussion versus Oregon State and did not play following week versus Washington State. He also dealt with an ankle injury that limited him during part of the 2013 season.
Strong finished his final season for the Sun Devils with 82 receptions and 1165 receiving yards. He averaged 14.2 yards per catch and recorded 10 touchdowns. Strong’s biggest game of the season came against USC when he caught ten passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns.
Here is a preview of Jaelen Strong’s scouting report from earlier this offseason
Summary: Jaelen Strong has the hands and the deceptive speed to become a number one option on most NFL teams. At 6’4”, he towers over most defensive backs and can pull down almost every ball above his head. The Philadelphia native originally attended Pierce Junior College after only receiving three offers (Eastern Michigan, Villanova, and VMI). In his two years at Arizona State, Strong recorded 17 touchdowns, compiled 2,287 yards receiving yards, and averaged 88 yards per game.
You can view the remainder of Jaelen Strong’s Scouting Report here.
Strong was invited to attend the NFL Draft on April 30th in Chicago, leading many analysts to believe teams are considering taking him in the first round. This injury will certainly affect Strong’s draft stock heading forward, but some teams may just see this as a minor bump in the road.