Jaylon Ferguson is headed to the NFL’s combine next week after all.

USA TODAY Sports has learned that the star defensive end from Louisiana Tech, one of the top edge rushers in the upcoming NFL draft, has been re-invited to the combine for medical exams and team interviews — yet still prevented from on-the-field drills and testing — after Ferguson’s previous invitation was rescinded after an off-the-field issue was discovered during a background check.

The NFL’s change of heart — and tweaked policy — also clears the way for previously banned Mississippi State defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and Colorado State receiver Preston Williams to attend the combine that begins Tuesday in Indianapolis.

“Rather than having up to 32 teams travel individually in these cases, this is actually to accommodate the clubs, to frankly get the most important information — the medical exam — in one place,” Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, told USA TODAY Sports.

Vincent recently informed clubs of the decision in a memo to general managers and head coaches, and maintained that in preventing on-field drills and testing, the players are still paying a price for off-field transgressions.

According to ProFootballTalk.com, Simmons won’t attend the combine due to recent anterior cruciate ligament surgery.

Ferguson, 6-5 and 269 pounds, the NCAA’s all-time sack leader, is the most notable of the players who were previously uninvited due to a league policy that banned players who were convicted of a misdemeanor or felony charge that involved violence. Ferguson, a projected first-round pick, was found guilty of simple battery stemming from a fight at a McDonald’s during his freshman year at Louisiana Tech.

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“To me, what I’m hoping is that the NFL wants to celebrate the fact that a kid like Jaylon made a mistake when he was 18, and has made amends for it,” agent Peter Schaffer told USA TODAY Sports. Schaffer is an associate of Ferguson’s agent, Safarrah Lawson, who was involved in discussions with NFL and combine officials about the combine invite.

“He’s earned the right for a second chance,” Schaffer added. “Instead of vilifying him, Jaylon wants people to see that you can earn a second chance. We’re glad the NFL sees that.”

The NFL — undoubtedly sensitive to perceptions of how it addresses violence by players — surely doesn’t view Ferguson’s case as a cause for celebration in the fashion that Schaffer suggests. Yet as Vincent pointed out, the practical efficiency for the medical exams is a compelling reason for the re-invitation.

In 2017, former Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon and former Mississippi quarterback Chad Kelly were the two biggest names not invited to the combine, due to incidents during their college years that involved violence. Mixon was ultimately drafted in the second round by the Cincinnati Bengals and has since flourished. Kelly was drafted in the seventh round by the Denver Broncos but flopped and was released in 2018, a day after he was arrested on criminal trespassing charges.

Mixon’s denied entry drew the ire of some NFL decision-makers who preferred that one of the top running back prospects in the draft be in the mix during the combine evaluations. Several felt this way despite the legal issues he encountered and the one-year suspension he served after punching a woman in the face in an incident captured on videotape.

Ironically, Schaffer represents Mixon. But he added that the 2017 combine situation with Mixon never came up in discussions with the league about Ferguson – nor should it have. Ferguson’s case is hardly comparable to the more serious allegations that involved the notable players banned from the combine two years ago.

Besides, Ferguson is coming to the combine now.

Of course, NFL teams will only get a portion of the evaluation of Ferguson, whose interview schedule with teams will be limited as part of his invitation.. For a more complete picture that includes workouts, timing and testing, they’ll still have to travel to Ruston, La., for Louisiana Tech’s pro day on March 19.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.

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