An Interesting Note Regarding Donald Jones

Since his strong rookie season in 2010, I've seen and heard many Buffalo Bills fans wonder aloud how on earth David Nelson didn't get drafted by a team prior to last season. That question is often meant as praise, and it's deserved. What I, myself, have frequently wondered is why Nelson's teammate, Donald Jones, doesn't merit the same inquiry from Bills fans.

I still don't have an answer to that question (though I suspect I will shortly), but thanks to Mark Gaughan of The Buffalo News, we do know the actual reason that Jones wasn't drafted last year: a kidney ailment caused many teams to remove Jones from their draft boards completely.

"I have a minor kidney disorder," Jones told Gaughan. "It came out at the combine. About the week of the draft, some teams called me and told me they were taking me off the board. I don't have to take any medication. It's something I'll probably always have. It doesn't affect me playing at all, and it has never affected me."

A record-setting receiver in his final season at Youngstown State, Jones was one of the first undrafted free agents the Bills targeted - and, as we've previously discussed, became one of the team's most valuable reserves.