Who is Dion Jordan?
Dion Jordan is a defensive end/linebacker out of the University of Oregon, where Chip Kelly once roamed.
WHO IS DION JORDAN?
The Miami Dolphins traded up to get the third pick from the Oakland Raiders and selected Dion Jordan, the DE/OLB from Oregon.
In 2007, he suffered third-degree burns across 40 percent of his body when he tried (oddly enough) turning off a vacuum used to siphon gasoline, and it cause a spark and giant flash of light. After being air-lifted to the Maricopa County burn center, doctors told the family he might not walk again, and football was likely out of the question...
"It's still all the way not a reality," said Yative Tiger, his aunt and legal guardian since middle school. "I don't know. I can't believe what's going to happen when his name is called."
A few years before he played in the 2011 national championship and 2013 Fiesta Bowl at Oregon, the 6-foot-6, 215-pound tight end/defensive end single-handily beat Highland on Oct. 5: six catches for 124 yards and a touchdown, seven tackles and a blocked field goal on defense in the 14-13 Wolves' win.
The next day after practice, while watching friends siphon gasoline into a friend's car, his life changed in, literally, a flash.
He was air-lifted to the hospital, where he apologized to then-Chandler coach Jim Ewan (who was the last to leave the hospital that Saturday night) that night stayed for three weeks. Fortunate to be alive and able to move after surgery and skin grafts, he was supposed to be in rehab for 4-6 weeks. He cut that timetable down to less than three weeks, without using a walker. The hospital even agreed to let him out for a couple hours when Chandler played Hamilton in the last regular season game of the 2007 season, as he sat in a golf cart on the Chandler sidelines. By mid-spring of 2008, he was back running track.
Jordan underwent (labrum) surgery on Feb. 27. The sling comes off in two weeks so he can start rehabilitation. The entire process, he said, could take three to four months. He hopes to be ready for training camp in late July.
Some project that Jordan could end up in Eagles' camp.
"It would be a great opportunity," Jordan said of playing for Kelly again. "I would understand his philosophy in regards to the work ethic and what we need to do. But it's not under my control. I don't control where I get drafted so I don't pay much attention to mock drafts."
Maybe the biggest question surrounding Jordan is whether he will play a 4-3 defensive end or a 3-4 linebacker. He said he has no preference. But at 246 he is light for a 4-3 end.
He did both for Oregon, where he said having great teammates allowed him to flourish.
"I had some great guys around me that made me look good," Jordan said.
MIKE MAYOCK SAYS:
"I loved him on tape and love his upside. A year from now, he can be an Aldon Smith-type guy. He's got length. You can move him around. He's got to get some weight on him. He got the (injured) shoulder fixed which hopefully will allow him to get back into a lifting program and nutrition program.
"This kid should put 20 pounds on. To me, he's got the length, the explosion, the quickness and ability to be a premier edge-disrupter in the NFL.
"Some people might see him as a 4-3 end in the NFL, but I like him as a 3-4 outside linebacker. If you put the Oregon tape on, he's out there over slots, disrupting the slot on the route. He's running with slots, but you can bring him in a three-point stance and let him go.
"I think this kid, if he can stay healthy and puts weight on, I think he has a chance to be a premier player.''
There had been questions about his ultimate position, but in Indy he showed why he should be considered a potentially dynamic 3-4 OLB. He showed elite speed for his size, and alleviated questions about whether he can cover, even as he profiles as a very good pass-rusher. He went to Oregon with the possibility of playing either offense (tight end) or defense but has emerged as an athletic, long-armed pass-rusher ready to make a difference.