UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, pegged by many NFL draft experts as the most dynamic player in the upcoming 2016 NFL Draft, will not hold a pro day and will likely not run a 40-yard dash for scouts before the draft.
NFL Network’s Michael Silver broke this story Tuesday. One might think that such a development could signal a draft-day slide for Jack, but after speaking with NFL personnel men, Silver reports it might not matter at all.
“I don’t think it will affect anything,” said the head coach of one team with a top-10 pick. “He’s doing a ton of great movement stuff.”
Said another team’s top personnel executive: “It won’t hurt him at all. He’s so good it doesn’t matter.”
“He won’t drop at all,” said a third team’s general manager. “It’s like (running back Todd) Gurley last year.”
Gurley wasn’t able to perform for scouts at all last year and was still drafted by the then St. Louis Rams No. 10 overall in 2015. After sitting out three games, he came back from his knee injury with a vengeance, rushing for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Jack suffered a t0rn meniscus last season and opted to withdraw from UCLA to concentrate on getting his body ready for the draft. His agent, John Thornton, notes this development doesn’t mean he’s not able to show teams what he is capable of doing. He also makes it clear, via Silver, that Jack is close to being 100 percent.
“The knee is structurally fine — he got cleared fully on March 7,” Thornton said. “I think he’s about 85-90 percent right now, and I’m telling teams, ‘My goal is to have him at 100 percent for the first (rookie) minicamp.’ He’s trying to get his explosion back, but in the meantime he’s showing everybody what they want to see.”
A rare athlete who is just as dynamic running the ball on offense as he is chasing down ball carriers on defense, Jack will be highly coveted this April by teams picking in the top half of the draft. He could very well be a top-10 pick, despite his inability to put on a show running a 40-yard dash.