Gerry: Jones, Allen not working out at combine

Friday, 22 February 2013 12:34

Written by Gerry Dulac

            Two players who could be of interest to the Steelers on the first round – Georgia pass-rushing linebacker Jarvis Jones and Cal wide receiver Keenan Allen – are not working out at the combine and will wait for their pro days to be tested.

            That, though, might not be an issue for the Steelers, who drafted tight end Heath Miller on the first round in 2005 without ever seeing him workout because of a sports-hernia injury.

“Heath never worked out,” said general manager Kevin Colbert. “He had a surgery and, to this day, I couldn’t tell you what Heath Miller ran in the 40. And, quite honestly, it doesn’t matter.”

Jones (6-2, 242) led the nation is sacks (14 ½), tackles for losses (24 ½) and forced fumbles (7) last season at Georgia and is built in the mold of the Steelers’ outside linebackers – James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley.

But there are some medical questions about Jones, who was diagnosed with stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal column, in 2009. Jones was at USC at the time and doctors there failed to clear him to play.

“The traditional thinking is those guys need to be 6-4, 250,” Colbert said. “I think we’ve broken the mold with LaMarr Woodley at 6-1 ½ and James Harrison at 6-foot. A lot of the times when you look at tackles in today’s game, 6-6, 6-7, 6-8, sometimes the low man wins.  I think James and LaMarr have been examples of that.”