Former Notre Dame defensive tackle Jerry Tillery, who underwent shoulder surgery in early March, will give teams plenty to think about in the coming days ahead of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Tillery recently met with a top shoulder specialist, Dr. Peter Millett, in Vail, Colo., where it was determined Tillery is ahead of schedule in the recovery process and fully expects to be ready for full activities in early July, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.
The upcoming draft is already loaded with defensive talent, especially among defensive linemen, but the 6-foot-6, 295-pound Tillery is widely regarded as a top prospect.
NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah ranks Tillery at No. 35 in his latest Top-50 prospects of the draft, while NFL Media senior researcher Chad Reuter projects Tillery as a second-round pick (60th overall) to the Los Angeles Chargers.
A healthy shoulder will almost certainly cause teams to consider taking Tillery earlier than the 60th overall pick when considering the timeline means the defensive tackle will be ready for action by the start of training camp in late July barring a setback.
Tillery finished his collegiate career with 135 tackles, which includes 24.5 tackles for a loss, 13.5 sacks and 21 quarterback hits.
