DALLAS - For the first time - and at the worst time - Michael Crabtree cannot demonstrate the talent that arguably makes him the most dynamic offensive player available in this weekend's NFL draft.

The winner of the Biletnikoff Award the last two seasons as the nation's top collegiate wide receiver and the playmaker who erupted for 231 catches for 3,127 yards and 41 touchdowns in 26 games in Texas Tech's spread offense finally has been stopped.

Physicians who examined the third-year sophomore at the scouting combine in February discovered a stress fracture in his left foot that was surgically repaired March 4. The operation, and the estimated eight- to 14-week recuperation period, kept him from being timed in the 40-yard dash. He also was unable to show scouts the route-running and pass-catching abilities that have drawn him comparisons to former NFL great Jerry Rice.

Crabtree, sitting in the athletics director's office at his Dallas-area high school last week, remained confident of his standing heading into the two-day draft, which kicks off Saturday in New York.

"I am a complete football player. If anybody wonders about me, I'm a complete football player. I can say it twice. You can't do no better," says Crabtree, who could be mistaken for a high school student, dressed in jeans and T-shirt.

Crabtree, 21, still might be among the top five players selected. But he is exasperated by his inability to join other prospects as they sweat to influence a top-end pecking order worth millions of dollars in contracts and endorsements.

"When I watch everybody else, they did it smooth. They made a smooth transition," he says. "My life ain't never been like that. I've always had challenges."

He always thought he would become an NFL wide receiver and viewed it as a major setback when he was pressed into service as a quarterback in his final two years at David W. Carter High School. The team went a combined 21-3 in 2004 and '05 with district championships each season, but he wonders if he hindered his development as a wide receiver by switching positions.

The change also dramatically affected his recruitment. Some schools wanted him to run their offense. Others saw him as a wide receiver. Some wanted him to play defensive back. And then-Texas Tech coach Bob Knight was among those offering a basketball scholarship.

As frustrated as he was, Crabtree found a way to turn his time as a quarterback to his benefit. He improved his knowledge of offenses and of how one receiving route could be used to set up another.

Crabtree had to sit out his freshman season at Texas Tech after he was declared academically ineligible because of discrepancies in his transcripts. According to Allen Wilson, his high school coach, one transcript reflected only midterm grades and had never been updated.

Once Crabtree got on the field, he made an immediate impact, smashing NCAA freshman records with 134 receptions, 1,962 yards and 22 touchdown catches. In 2008, he managed 97 catches for 1,165 yards and 19 touchdowns despite injuries.

The 6-2, 215-pound wideout laments the catches, yards and points that got away last year. He unwittingly played with the stress fracture in his left foot through much of last season and sprained his right ankle toward the end of the schedule.

"Imagine if I was 100 percent," he says.

'I knew he'd be special'

Crabtree has a way of turning seeming negatives into positives. He made sure his first year at Texas Tech was not lost time. "When I sat out," he says, "it was a lot of me talking to myself, trying to make myself better. It made me work even harder."

He took that time to form a relationship with quarterback Graham Harrell on and off the field.

"We just had a special connection from the first day he came on campus," Harrell says. "I knew he'd be special. He really was a student of the game."

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach also was impressed by Crabtree's dedication. "He has a really clear and focused mind," he says. "In his downtime, when he's walking somewhere, I really believe he's thinking about football."

Ego? Confidence bordering on cockiness? Yes, Crabtree has those, too.

"He thinks he should get the ball every snap," Harrell says, "and he has a good argument if you look at what he does. But he's not a selfish guy. He's not going to be mad if he doesn't get the ball - as long as we're having success."

The wide receiver's team-first approach is apparent. Along with one highlight-reel catch after another, game films show his willingness to make crushing downfield blocks.

"Crabtree is the best blocking wide receiver I have ever had," Leach says. "He'll run them clear out of bounds, and just for fun he'll keep them out of bounds."

Leach does not resist comparisons to Rice, who developed his skills in a freewheeling attack at Mississippi Valley State and answered predraft questions about his speed by becoming the gold standard against which all receivers are measured.

"They do have some similarities," Leach says. "They are incredibly driven people, and their work ethic is off the charts."

ESPN analyst Keyshawn Johnson, a former NFL wideout and first-round pick, is impressed with Crabtree but warns against comparisons.

"I like his size and his toughness. I think he's a receiver who can make the transition from a wide-open Texas Tech offense to the NFL with its traditional routes," Johnson says. "Things aren't going to be as open as they were in college, but he has great body control and he attacks the football.

"Let's not say, "He's going to be the next Jerry Rice.' He's a good player, and he has a chance to be terrific."

Drafting receivers prominently is a high-risk, high-reward proposition. Recent history is rife with first-round flops - Charles Rogers (Detroit Lions, second overall, 2003), Troy Williamson (Minnesota Vikings, seventh overall, 2005) and Matt Jones (Jacksonville Jaguars, 21st overall, 2005), to name a few. None came close to meeting expectations.

Given the way Crabtree attacks defenders and the explosiveness that allows him to gain separation from them, his future might hinge on how well his feet withstand that pounding.

His surgeon, Robert Anderson, was optimistic after examining Crabtree on Saturday. He plans to allow him to begin running within the next couple of weeks. "We anticipate that he will be back to his usual form fairly quickly and that it will not be a problem for him in the future," Anderson said.

So there is every reason to believe the much-discussed stress fracture will no longer be an issue by the time training camps open (in late-July).

Crabtree's parents separated when he was 6. His father, Michael, always has been heavily involved in his life and expects his son to do what he always does - make the most of adversity.

"Everything happens for a reason. It hurts him not to run at all," the father says. "All this does is make him stronger. He has big expectations to prove, and that's what he lives on."

The younger Crabtree thinks good is never good enough. He says teams "can't do any better" than to draft him.

"I work for greatness. I strive for greatness," he says. "I'm going to give everybody greatness."