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The Jaguars wanted the 6-foot-3, 265-pounder to lose about 10 pounds and become a better fit for the team's hybrid end/linebacker position called "Leo."
Fowler's knee buckled during an 11-on-11 drill as he engaged right tackle Watts Dantzler. Fowler dropped to the ground, grabbed his leg as he rolled from side to side and eventually got helped off the field. He was carted to the locker room.
Fowler had 14 1/2 sacks in three years at Florida, including 8 1/2 last season, and was the best player on a solid defense.
The injury looked serious live and appeared even worse in video replays,Cheap Jerseys From China. Tests revealed the extent of the damage,Cheap NFL Jerseys China.
It cost the team dearly.
Fowler's injury happened during a two-day camp that featured eight draft picks, nine first-year players and 28 workout players trying to get a shot at the NFL. Jacksonville had hoped to get all of them accustomed to the pace of practice and how to properly perform every drill.
Although players have returned from torn knee ligaments in seven months' time, the Jaguars would have to be in playoff contention to even consider bringing Fowler back so soon. The franchise, which is nearing the end of its ground-up rebuild, has won nine games over the last three years.
Now, though, it's unlikely he will play in 2015.
Fowler tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during rookie minicamp Friday. ESPN first reported the extent of the injury,Wholesale Jerseys.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Dante Fowler Jr. didn't miss a game in three years of college.
"Well, I think you've got to be smart," coach Gus Bradley said. "You weigh it to, 'Hey, we can get them acclimated, a feel for everything.' But we didn't have a regular practice as far as reps. Where we normally go 15 reps,NFL Jerseys China Cheap, we had 10. We didn't have a blitz period. It's just getting them more accustomed to the flow of practice, as well as being able to evaluate some of these guys that are in for the next two days."
Fowler was the first non-quarterback selected last week,China Jerseys, taken by the Jaguars after quarterbacks Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay) and Marcus Mariota (Tennessee).
"I went to apologize to him and he was like,Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping, 'You're good, man. It's just football,'" Dantzler said.
The Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end, the third overall pick in last week's NFL draft, is likely out for the season after tearing a knee ligament during his first practice.
The Jaguars were counting on Fowler to be a centerpiece of the defense for years. They had expected him to be a Day 1 starter, meaning he would replace 33-year-old veteran Chris Clemons.
The former Florida star likely will miss his entire rookie year in the NFL. |
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