With college basketball season coming to a close, the next big thing for college athletics besides softball and baseball season is the NFL Draft. The 2025 NFL Draft is just a few short weeks away, and prospective draft picks are doing everything they can to try and either move up the draft boards or simply catch the attention of a team.
For Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke, it is hard to say whether or not he will get drafted, but that is not due to his skill but because of his injury. Back in early January, news broke that the Indiana quarterback led his team to the best season in program history, broke numerous program records, and made it to the College Football Playoff for the first time ever all while playing with a re-torn ACL.
Rourke tore his ACL earlier in his career, but it was unknown that he re-tore it before the season even started. When the news broke, everyone was amazed at the fact that Rourke was able to lead his team to such success, even with an injury that took most players out for an entire season. Rourke had surgery on the knee back in late January and has been rehabbing ever since.
Kurtis Rourke shares a positive update on his ACL recovery
The Canada native was invited to the NFL Combine but was unable to perform in any of the physical tests, but certainly was able to still have interviews and talk with teams. Recently, Rourke attended the Colts Local Pro Day, even while still rehabbing his knee. The Indiana star was not able to participate in the drills but was able to share a good update on his recovery.
Rourke said that he had been cleared to fully throw as of last week and also just started jogging. He didn't want to push it at the Pro Day and not put his best foot forward, and he also knew he was there to support his fellow teammates.
Just three months removed from his ACL injury, Rourke still wouldn't be ready by the time the NFL camps rolled around, but if a team is willing to take a chance and draft him late or even sign him as an undrafted free agent, he could be in the building and potentially be ready by the time the regular season rolls around.
With Rourke already able to fully throw and beginning to work, that means that his mobility seems good in his knee. The ACL injury made sense when going back and looking at Rourke's tape from last season and a lot of people said he wasn't very mobile. He wasn't mobile probably because running on the knee could have potentially taken him out for the season.
For a team that is looking for a future quarterback in a few years, Rourke could be the guy they want to take. He is a player that a team like the Raiders could take as a late-round pick and use in a couple of seasons after he has gotten time to learn the NFL. Without this injury update, Rourke could have still gone under the radar for a lot of teams, but this certainly helps his draft stock.