Ben Volin of *The Boston Globe* recently spoke to Dr. David Chao, who was previously the head physician for the [Los Angeles Chargers](https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/la-chargers/). After the injury slipped under the radar, with multiple teams outside the Patriots admitting they didn't know about it, Chao warned that this type of injury would have massively hurt Jacas' draft stock.

"Yes, it's a big deal,"  Dr. David Chao said. "If you said a kid has a large osteochondral lesion, I would be downgrading his draft grade score, and sight unseen, warning general managers that this guy might not have a long NFL career."

That doesn't mean that the Patriots should not have drafted Jacas. However, it does mean the second round could turn out to be a reach in the long run. A degenerative knee issue, simply put, is going to be hard to have a long career with.

"It's not a 'don't touch,' but it's a 'stop and consider.' If you took an over-under on him, it would be a victory if he made it to a second contract," Chao said.

In the end, the Patriots negotiated with Jacas over a "large osteochondral defect" in his left knee. They eventually were able to add an injury waiver into his rookie contract, which would allow the Patriots to void guarantees in his contract if he reinjures that left knee in the next three seasons.

NFL doctor on Jacas degenerative knee issue: “If you took an over-under on him, it would be a victory if he made it to a second contract”