Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith came into the NFL Scouting Combine as the No. 1 linebacker in the draft in the eyes of many of the scouts. He was thought of as a top-10 pick as well but now, there’s now telling when he’ll be drafted. The torn ACL he suffered at the end of the 2015 season left him worse than originally thought.
The medical staff at the NFL Scouting Combine detected that Smith has nerve damage to his knee and ankle. And the prognosis on the Butkus Award winner is that he won’t play in 2016 and possibly longer. There are some real doubts out there about him making his NFL debut before 2017.
Smith plans to go in for a re-check in early April, around three weeks before the draft. He was seen walking gingerly on Friday, but without crutches, as he made his way to the podium to speak to the media. At the time that prospects make and lose money for themselves, Smith looks to have lost the most.
It looks like Smith has to accept the fact that his official playing career in NFL will be delayed. The good thing is Smith has a $5 million loss-of-value insurance policy in case something like this happened. Players taken in the first round are expected to contribute right away so Smith will likely collect on that policy.
To give you some perspective on this, 2013 San Francisco 49ers 4th-round pick Marcus Lattimore had nerve damage. And the running back retired after his second year in the NFL, never playing a down. So Smith may have bigger fish to fry than simply if and when he may get drafted in May.