INDIANAPOLIS -- There was no missing it. As sure as there was a brace on Jack Ikegwuonu's injured right knee, there was disappointment in his face and sadness in his voice Sunday.

While most of the other 333 NFL prospects were running and jumping and bench-pressing, showing league personnel evaluators and coaches what they've got during the annual scouting combine this week, the former University of Wisconsin cornerback spent all day Sunday having his knee examined by doctors from all 32 teams.

"Every single one," Ikegwuonu said as he limped through the hallway of the Indiana Convention Center, on his way to the local hospital for an MRI. "It's been crazy."

And difficult, just as the past 34 days have been. Ikegwuonu, who left UW with one year of eligibility remaining, was pulling a weight sled during a workout in Florida Jan. 22 when he stumbled, dislocating and hyperextending the knee as he tried to keep his balance. He tore his ACL, partially tore his MCL and also damaged his kneecap.

Sprawled out in pain on the ground, tears flowing, he said his career and future -- one that had just been forever altered -- really did flash before him.

"It all happened so fast," he said. "I've never cried like that before in my life. You just lay there. You think about your family, your career. I've never had an injury before like that, and I really thought that my career might be over.

"I don't know if I regret my decision to come out. I regretted it for a little while, thinking, 'Maybe this is God telling me I didn't make the right decision.' Wishing I was back at school.

"You know, given the fact that I went down to Florida to train (instead of staying in Madison), and the fact that I left (school) early, there are some naysayers -- some people who thought I should've come back (for my senior year).

"But, it's been about a month now, and I'm back on my feet, as you can see. And I'm confident I made the right decision. I'm just going to do what I can to try to impress the coaches and the management here and hopefully I can put on a good presentation. All it takes is for one team to fall in love with you. Hopefully my stock won't drop too far because of the injury."

Telling the truth

At least Ikegwuonu, who will undergo surgery Thursday in Miami, was forthright about his status Sunday. Less than 24 hours earlier, his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told a crowd of reporters Ikegwuonu's injury was to "his ACL only. He's got no other injuries in the knee." Rosenhaus also proclaimed confidently, "I'd say Jack Ikegwuonu is going to be ready for training camp."

Ikegwuonu, meanwhile, admitted it was more than the ACL. He also said his surgeon, Dr. John Uribe, has said "he thinks I can get back sometime late September, early October," which would be several weeks into the regular season.

As a result, the 5-foot-11, 194-pound Ikegwuonu might not be selected during the April 26 to 27 NFL draft, and if he is taken, it will likely be considerably later than he would have gone.

Another Rosenhaus client, former University of Miami (Fla.) running back Willis McGahee, went in the first round in 2004, at No. 23 overall, despite an injury.

Worth a pick?

"He'll get an assessment by all the team doctors on exactly where the knee is, and then people will decide from there whether it's worth drafting him or signing him as a free agent and then basically putting him on the shelf," Seattle Seahawks director of pro personnel Will Lewis said. "You're pretty much going to put him on the physically unable to perform list or the non-football injury list, and then he's got that whole year to rehab and you figure out when you can get him back in the mix."

But Ikegwuonu is not the only player here facing such an uncertain pro future. Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon, for one, can relate. Although Dixon didn't come out early, he suffered a torn ACL, and his injury took him from serious Heisman Trophy candidate to also-ran and coincided with his team going from a legitimate BCS title contender to playing in the Sun Bowl.

"It was pretty much a disaster," said Dixon, who partially tore his ACL against Arizona State Nov. 3, then tried to play through it against Arizona Nov. 15, when the ligament ruptured. "You can't let it (get the best of you). You've got to continue to focus. I think the most devastating loss that I ever had -- and nothing will ever compare to that -- was losing my mom (Jueretta, to breast cancer in 2004).

"I just look at it as that. Life goes on. There's challenges out there, it's going to be rough, but it's how you respond in the end."

Which is precisely the approach Ikegwuonu is taking, as hard as it is.

"The dislocation of your knee is pretty scary, and the timing of it, it was really sad. I don't think anything can prepare you for something like that, given what's at stake," Ikegwuonu said. "I mean, it's every college football player's dream to be able to perform at the combine, and I don't get to do that this year.

"It's tough. I'm still dealing with it. It's kind of depressing, being around all the guys and seeing them walk around healthy and running around, (and) not to be able to compete and show teams what I've got. But I've just got to take it day-by-day.

"I'm still confident. Everybody's been reassuring me that, 'It's fixable, you'll be back, you just have to keep working hard.' Like I said, I just have to get one team to buy into me and fall in love with me. And hopefully I can keep my stock from dropping too far."