Former Rutgers star defensive tackle Darius Hamilton underwent surgery on both knees this week and will miss Rutgers Pro Day in early March, according to his agent Rob Roche.
The surgery has a two-way impact on Hamilton’s NFL future: It will limit his pre-draft exposure to scouts but also is intended to finally restore him to full strength after an arduous two-year journey.
“We feel pretty positive about it,” Roche told NJ Advance Media. “He’s finally going to be 100 percent healthy. That’s what we’re looking forward to.”
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While training for the draft at IMG Academy in Florida, Hamilton felt some discomfort and underwent a MRI that revealed tears to the patella tendons in both knees, Roche said.
“Both of those repairs were done, and he’s looking at a 3-4 month recovery period,” Roche said. “It takes him out of Pro Day, but the NFL will see what a 100 percent healthy Darius Hamilton can do on the football field. That’s an exciting thing.”
Hamilton first injured his right knee prior to the 2015 season and took a redshirt year after playing in just one game. Returning from a medical procedure, he had 56 tackles while playing in all 12 games in 2016 but wore a mobility-limiting knee brace for the first half of the season.
“Our plan is to have him do his recovery and most likely send him back down to IMG to do his rehab,” Roche said. “And he’ll be ready to sign with a team after the draft and go to camp this year. He’ll be ready for this year.”
A former five-star recruit out of Don Bosco Prep whose father, Keith, played 12 seasons on the Giants defensive line, Hamilton was an All-Big Ten selection in 2014. He totaled 93 tackles — including 23 for loss and 10.5 sacks — as a sophomore and junior, earning All-Big Ten honors in 2014.
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Hamilton, who played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl last month, always resisted declaring himself 100 percent healthy. But he told NJ Advance Media last month that he felt like his “knee keeps getting progressively better” and he was regaining his form as a disruptive pass-rusher.
“Darius is a tough guy, and I think he just got used to some of the discomfort,” Roche said. “The only reason it came up is we checked on him at IMG.”
Two of Rutgers’ perceived top NFL prospects in 2017 will be out of Pro Day as fellow defensive lineman Julian Pinnix-Odrick retired without chasing the dream.
Roche said that Hamilton — the only three-time team captain in the history of the oldest FBS college football program — is in good spirits. Two of Hamilton’s former Rutgers teammates — Quentin Gause and Steve Longa — made NFL rosters in 2016 as undrafted free agents.
“He’s home already and he’s and excited,” Roche said. “He looks forward to playing this year and helping a NFL team win.”
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Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.
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