Crabtree stops draft prep to have stress fracture surgery

As they try to figure out where Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree fits into the draft, NFL scouts will have to rely on game films and what they already know about him.

Crabtree did play hurt through some of the 2008 season. (US Presswire)

Crabtree, generally regarded as the top receiver in this draft and the No. 2-ranked prospect overall by NFLDraftScout.com, announced in a statement Sunday that he will have surgery on his foot March 4 in Charlotte, N.C. It was discovered during a bone scan at the scouting combine last month that his left foot has a stress fracture that will require insertion of a screw in order to heal properly.

Rehabilitation is expected to take about 10 weeks. So the surgery will eliminate the possibility of him working out before the draft April 25-26.

Before the injury was discovered, Crabtree had scheduled a March 26 workout in Dallas to work out. After the injury, Crabtree said he intended to run before undergoing surgery, but didn't specify whether that would be March 26 or at Texas Tech's March 12 Pro Day. But after consulting with doctors, he decided to get the surgery done as early as possible so he can have more time to rehabilitate before minicamps and training camps.

"After thorough consideration and discussion with my advisors and doctors, I decided to have the surgery, rather than risk any further injury," Crabtree said in a statement Sunday. "As a competitor, I wanted to run at my pro day, but it became clear that the best thing for me is to have the surgery and be ready to get on the field as soon as possible."

However, this does create more curiosity regarding where he should be selected in the draft. His status was already questioned because he was bothered by a right ankle injury for much of last season and originally cited that as the reason he didn't participate in combine workouts.

And he created further controversy at the combine because, like all other Texas Tech players, he measured almost two inches shorter than his listed college height. That put him at 6-feet-1 3/8 rather than his college roster height of 6-3.

While some teams might take all this into consideration and reevaluate his draft position, other teams believe they already know what kind of player Crabtree is and as long as they expect a full recovery, which most do, then he will not slide down their draft list at all.

"He has a history and his history is good," Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith said at the combine. "I think he'll be OK."

The Seattle Seahawks, owners of the No. 4 overall pick, have long been tied to Crabtree as a possible landing spot. "Well, he was ... 6-1.3, but his arms were 34.5 (unofficially 34¼) and I believe he had the longest arms of the receivers other than (Ramses Barden) from Cal Poly," said Seahawks coach Jim More and the combine. "So I think that makes up for it a little bit. I wouldn't call 6-1½ too short. He's about 214 (pounds), long arms. Hands I think were 10 (inches). That's a pretty good-sized kid."

After the injury was discovered during the combine, Crabtree made a brief statement about it. "It's an old injury I've been having," he said. "I never had any pain in it." At the time he said he intended to run at his pro day and then have surgery. But Sunday he changed his mind.

Crabtree is a two-time winner of the prestigious Biletnikoff Award as the best college receiver in the country. As a freshman he secured a high spot in whatever draft he entered by catching 134 passes for 1,962 yards and 22 touchdowns. Then, despite an injured right ankle and apparently a stress fracture in his left foot, Crabtree caught 97 passes for 1,165 yards and 19 touchdowns last season.

His ability to go after the ball has been compared to that of Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald, and Crabtree was recruited on a dual scholarship that included basketball -- although he didn't play basketball at Texas Tech because of the grind of trying to play two sports.

Scouts indicate his basketball experience is evident in the way he goes after the ball with his hands and uses his body to shield defenders.

"You know how you've got to box out? When you're going against a cornerback I'm boxing him out," Crabtree said at the Combine. "Also quickness. You've got to have a lot of quickness on the court."

Considering how Crabtree measured at the Combine (6-1 3/8, 215 pounds, 9½-inch hands and 34¼-inch arms) and that he won't be able to run before the draft, NFL teams will now be on their own to figure out if they believe he is as great as they thought or that he is a little shorter, slower and less durable than they might prefer.

Frank Cooney is the Publisher of NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.