INDIANAPOLIS -- Teams waiting to draft Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree will have to wait six to 10 weeks longer to
see how fast he can run a 40-yard dash.
Crabtree, according to a source, has the beginning stages of a stress fracture in his left foot that will require a screw to be surgically inserted to stabilize that area of the foot.
Crabtree
The fracture was discovered during a bone scan conducted Friday during the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
The scan revealed a slight crack in the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot.
The fracture, according to a source, was so slight he could have opted not to have surgery, but there was the possibility that the crack would get worse had the screw not been inserted.
Though not considered serious, the injury will
prevent him from running for a six to 10 weeks. According to a source, Crabtree plans to take the conservative approach and try to be ready in 10 weeks.
Crabtree, who had not scheduled the surgery as of early Saturday afternoon, had been considered the top wide receiver in the 2009 draft.
Because he's an underclassman, teams looking to draft him don't have accurate times in the 40-yard dash and shuttles to help with their evaluation process.
Now, those interested teams will have to rely on tapes from his games over the past two seasons.
Crabtree, who suffered a right ankle injury late last season that had not completely healed, was not planning to run at the combine, preferring to wait until his pro timing day in March.
In 2008, Jonathan Stewart, a first-round talent, ran at the combine despite a bad turf toe. The injury didn't get better and he ended requiring surgery. Stewart, despite the surgery and not being healthy for teams around the draft, went in the first round to the Carolina Panthers.
Football Thread 2009 Thread
