Former Youngstown State defensive end Derek Rivers was expected to make a significant impact in his rookie season with the New England Patriots, but he may have to wait another year.
According to Mike Reiss and Field Yates of ESPN.com, the Patriots fear Rivers could miss the entire 2017 season after he suffered a knee injury during training camp. Rivers left practice on Wednesday after getting hurt during a kick coverage drill.
While the exact injury is unknown, Rivers flew back to Boston on Thursday for testing rather than traveling to Houston with his teammates for their preseason game against the Texans. The tests reportedly revealed that he may have suffered a significant injury.
The Patriots selected Rivers with the 83rd overall pick (their first in the 2017 draft), and he was expected to be part of their rotation at defensive end this season. With Rob Ninkovich having surprisingly retired at the start of training camp, Rivers had the opportunity to take on a big role.
