Patriots' Derek Rivers Done For Season With Torn ACL
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots ' top draft choice of 2017 may be done for the season. They reportedly "fear" that rookie defensive end Derek Rivers has suffered a season-ending knee injury.
UPDATE: Derek Rivers has been placed on season-ending injured reserve with a torn ACL.
ESPN's Field Yates and Mike Reiss first reported the Rivers news on Twitter on Friday. Rivers, whom the Patriots drafted 83rd overall out of Youngstown State in April, suffered the injury while participating in a kickoff drill during a joint practice between the Patriots and Texans on Wednesday.
From @MikeReiss & I: the Patriots fear their top draft pick DE Derek Rivers has suffered a season-ending knee injury, per league sources.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 18, 2017
UPDATE: The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted on Friday that Rivers tore his ACL and sprained his LCL, and that the Patriots await a second opinion to confirm that surgery will be necessary.
#Patriots 3rd rd pick DE Derek Rivers tore his ACL & sprained his LCL, per the initial MRI. 2nd opinion coming to confirm surgery is needed.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 18, 2017
Elsewhere on the edge of the Patriots' defensive line, fellow rookie Deatrich Wise missed this week's practices due to a head injury, presumably a concussion, suffered during the team's first preseason game against the Jaguars. Kony Ealy, whom the Patriots acquired in an offseason trade with the Panthers, had a scare on the same day as Rivers but appears to have avoided a major injury.
They also have 2015 third-round pick Geneo Grissom getting time at practice on the defensive line and could even give defensive captain Dont'a Hightower more looks on the edge than the middle.
Rivers made 14 sacks during his senior season at Youngstown State, and also forced a fumble and recovered three. He recorded 35 sacks in 39 games over his final three collegiate seasons.