Undrafted After Round 1, How Far Could Injured LBs Myles Jack, Jaylon Smith Fall

While uncertainty dominated the storylines as to how the 2016 NFL draft would unfold, no one could have projected that Myles Jack of UCLA would have fallen out of the first round entirely. But his substantial knee injuries have apparently become so worrisome that NFL teams have moved him way down their draft boards.

On the other had, Notre Dame’s Jaylon Smith had to watch the draft’s first round in frustration and disappointment. Once considered a likely top-10 pick, Smith saw a devastating knee injury wipe out any hope of being a first-round pick, relegating him to focus on rehab and, hopefully, aim for a 2017 regular-season debut.

But where will these two special linebacker talents end up on draft day? Will they be selected on Day 2 of the draft or fall later? And which teams may be targeting the injured, now awesomely valued Myles Jack and Jaylon Smith? While trying to handicap who may be interested, with elite talents on the board like these two, any team running any scheme could make a case to add Jack or Smith throughout Day 2 of the 2016 NFL draft.

Myles Jack, UCLA

Widely perceived as one of the top five players in the NFL draft throughout the process, concerns over Myles Jack’s draft stock started once reports surfaced that NFL teams were worried about his future during NFL Scouting Combine medical rechecks. After leaks—such as Yahoo reporter Charles Robinson indicating that the Cowboys had removed Jack from their primary board—began to discuss Jack’s value to NFL teams, there became a real fear that he could slip to the teens on draft day.

The elite talent fell much further than that, and the fact that no NFL team wanted to draft him in Round 1 is a major indictment that teams may not feel he’ll make it to the end of a five-year first-round rookie deal.

As to where he fits next? It’s anyone’s guess as we approach the second round. The San Francisco 49ers may be the odds-on favorite, as they have a track record of giving injured prospects an extra chance, and their interest was indicated by ESPN’s Bob Holtzman (via Rotoworld’s Evan Silva) in the buildup to the first round.

The Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders have been the teams most …

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