The two most talented linebackers in the 2016 NFL Draft were passed on in the first round due to very different knee injuries with very different complications.
But the second-day wait for both couldn't have been much shorter.
The Dallas Cowboys made Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith the No. 34 overall pick of the draft, knowing the 2015 Butkus Award winner isn't expected to play during his rookie season as he rehabilitates a knee injury that includes nerve damage. Two picks later, the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to end UCLA linebacker Myles Jack's wait with the No. 36 choice.
Two elite talents who were surefire first-round picks if healthy, Smith and Jack could prove to be big steals if the concern NFL teams had about their injuries turns out to be overblown.
Smith was injured in the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State on a block by Buckeyes left tackle Taylor Decker. Damage to the knee was such that NFL clubs projected that Smith's best-case scenario was a return to the field in 2017, and a rookie-year sit-out was expected to cause Smith to tumble much further in the draft than the early going in the second round.
"(Smith) is a sideline-to-sideline rabbit at 240 pounds," NFL Media draft expert Mike Mayock said Friday on NFL Network.
Jack injured his knee last September, tearing his meniscus. He was unable to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine and participated only on a limited basis at UCLA's pro day. At that time, he was still considered an early first-round pick. Following his medical recheck in Indianapolis on April 15, NFL Media Insider Rapoport reported NFL clubs had mixed opinions about Jack's knee, and his draft stock began to suffer.
He is expected to be ready to play as a rookie, unlike Smith, but concern over Jack is that microfracture surgery could be necessary at some point in the future, which could threaten his career longevity. On Friday, Dr. James Andrews told Jack that he doesn't need microfracture surgery, according to ESPN.
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