Just based on his game tape, the Cowboys graded Memphis guard Ron Leary as a third-round talent, and offensive line coach Bill Callahan believes he is one of the most NFL-ready blockers in this class.
However, because of concerns about his knee following surgery to repair a torn meniscus in 2010, the Cowboys dropped him to the sixth round. They had the opportunity to draft him late, but like other teams, passed on Leary in all seven rounds.
After bragging about signing Leary, team owner Jerry Jones explained that his knee has a degenerative condition that could eventually require microfracture surgery and cut short his career.
Leary said he only found out a couple days before the draft how much the concerns over his knee were affecting his draft stock.
Before he left town for this weekend's minicamp, however, he received a good report.
"My doctor at school who did the surgery, I went and saw him right before I left Memphis," Leary said. "He told me if the knee was going to give out, it would've given out during the season. I played the whole season, no problems. I probably missed nine snaps out of the whole season. I did the Combine, played in the all-star game and everything. Everything is fine right now."
In this weekend's minicamp and throughout the summer, the Cowboys will likely be paying close attention to how well Leary holds up.
