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As part of their final roster cutdowns, the New England Patriots have placed three rookies on non-football reserve lists – among them their second-highest selection of this year's draft:
The Patriots placed rookie OT Antonio Garcia on non-football illness.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) September 3, 2017
Garcia was one of the Patriots' four draft picks this year and originally projected to be a lock to make the team due to his athletic upside and status as a third round selection. And whie it would have been a huge surprise to see the 23-year old earn regular playing time or even a starting spot, he was at least seen as a valuable backup to groom behind the scenes.
However, the 23-year old was unable to contribute much over the course of the summer because of injury and was now placed on the reserve list due to an undisclosed illness. Garcia will therefore miss at least the first six weeks of the season. If the Patriots do not activate him prior to week 11, the rookie will stay on the NFI list for the rest of the season.
New England also placed two more rookies on a reserve list; the non-football injury list to be exact:
DE Keionta Davis
OT Andrew Jelks
Davis remained unsigned for more than four months after the draft due to a medical issue (a bulging disk in his neck). The Patriots brought him on board in August but he was seen as a long-shot to make the team.
Jelks, on the other hand, was signed by the Patriots shortly after the draft. After having missed his last two collegiate seasons due to consecutive ACL tears, he was placed on the NFI list prior to the start of training camp.