There were some who had former Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith as the top player in the 2016 NFL draft.
That came before Smith blew out his knee in the Fiesta Bowl this past January. Since then, red flag after red flag has been raised regarding Smith’s ability to make an impact over both the short and long term.
Smith doesn’t seem to be too concerned about his injury. At the very least, when it comes to how he projects himself in the draft:
“I’m the best player in the draft. I just didn’t get the opportunity to show it as far as the combine and draft process,” Smith told Bleacher Report. “Watch the film. Any game. It speaks for itself.”
The draft process itself surely did hurt Smith. Concerns over nerve damage has also been a factor in seeing him drop down the draft boards of experts around the football world.
Projected to go anywhere from the top of Day 2 to completely out of the draft itself, there’s a wide net being cast around Smith.
He did, however, delve a bit further into his medicals — something that’s going to be the true story leading up to the draft later this month:
“My surgery took place on January 7 in Dallas, and the doctor offered some comforting news,” Smith continued. “He told me it’s not a matter of if, but when, I would be 100 percent again.”
That’s part of the news NFL teams want to hear when potentially taking a chance on the blue-chip linebacker prospect.
Though, the larger issue here is when Smith will be able to return from the gruesome injury. If he’s unable to make an impact at any point during his rookie season, it will surely scare teams off early in the draft. Even if he is, some might draw the conclusion that he’s best served sitting the entire year.
In this, Smith still doesn’t seem to have any real answers.
“At this point, the doctors still don’t have a timetable. I could be ready to start the season, or I could miss the entire season,” the linebacker continued. “Anything more definitive is just speculation. What I do know is this: Once I’m 100 percent healthy and feeling comfortable, I’ll be back on the field and dominating.”
The injury in question is tremendously serious. Not only did Smith suffer a torn ACL and MCL in his knee, reports at the combine suggested that he also suffered nerve damage.
Clean tears can be a heck of a thing to come back from. But hard work and a drive to return to the field can make it inevitable.
On the other hand, nerve damage can have both short-term and long-term impacts on a player’s ability to play at a high level.
The medicals teams see from Smith’s doctors in the final couple weeks leading up to the draft will likely play a major role in where he’s drafted. As Smith said, anything up to that point is pure speculation.
What we do know is that the linebacker wants to be an inspiration to himself and others who will suffer similar injuries in the future. It just remains to be seen whether that will lead to on-field success in the NFL. Only time will tell there.