No limitations expected for Jordy Nelson

INDIANAPOLIS - There has been no shortage of optimism regarding Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson’s return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson expressed their hopefulness Thursday.

McCarthy said he doesn't expect Nelson to have "any limitations" once training camp begins in late July.

"Jordy looks great," McCarthy said Thursday at the NFL scouting combine. "I think where he is in his career, I'm not worried about him getting back to where he was. He's way ahead of schedule. I've already talked to him, with this fifth preseason (Hall of Fame) game, about how we play him in the preseason. He'll work some in the OTAs, but I don't see him having any limitations come training camp."

Nelson will 'definitely be ready' for camp

Nelson remained in Green Bay as he worked through his rehab, so the Packers have been able to track his progress up close. They’ve been satisfied with what they’ve seen from the former Pro Bowl receiver.

“You sometimes wonder if he was really hurt,” Thompson joked Thursday. “I’m just kidding.”

In an interview last month with USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, Nelson said he expects to be ready for training camp. Nelson said he’s able to run on his knee, though he hasn’t sprinted. He also had yet to be able to cut while running.

Thompson didn’t elaborate much on what Nelson is able to do on his surgically reconstructed knee, which he injured during the Packers' second preseason game in August. He said Nelson is working with “machines” in his current phase of rehabilitation, putting less stress on his knee. The hope is Nelson can return to the Pro Bowl form he showed while catching 98 passes for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2014.

“I’ve seen him around the building,” Thompson said. “He’s around the building a lot of the time. I mean, literally, all the time. He’s a workout, rehab freak like you would imagine, any of you guys who have been around him. That was a hard thing for him to do, sitting out the season, but he looks great.”