CHICAGO — It was a long wait and a soft landing for Myles Jack and Jaylon Smith.
Now about those knees.
The two athletic linebackers with health questions went early in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday, with Jacksonville trading up to grab Jack two spots after Dallas selected Smith with the No. 34 overall pick.
Jack and Smith were two of the biggest names still on the board at the beginning of the day, and Alabama running back Derrick Henry went to Tennessee at No. 45. Henry powered the Crimson Tide to the national championship last season and won the Heisman Trophy.
Jack was considered a potential top-five pick at one point, but concerns about his right knee sent him tumbling down the board. He played both ways as a freshman at UCLA and was the Pac-12 offensive and defensive newcomer of the year. But a knee injury limited him to three games last season.
“Bottom line is, man, I’m ready to go,” Jack said. “I’ll be there rookie minicamp. I’m a 100 percent healthy. I’m cleared. The knee shouldn’t be a concern anymore. I definitely proved that with my play. There’s nothing else to talk about. I’m ready to play ball.”
General Manager Dave Caldwell said Jack had a great workout for the team.
“You’d never know there was anything wrong with him,” Caldwell said. “As far as we’re concerned, there’s not right now. There’s no plan for surgeries. There’s no plan for any additional treatment. I think we’re good to go.”
Smith also was expected to be a first-round pick before he tore two ligaments in his left knee during Notre Dame’s loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Following the advice of doctors at Notre Dame and agent Eugene Parker, who died from cancer March 31, Smith had Cowboys team doctor Dan Cooper perform the surgery.
“I’m going to be fine. I’ll be able to play again,” Smith said. “It’s just timing. Timing is everything and for Dallas to draft me, they’re going to get a great player. I’m looking forward to playing for a great team.”
Mississippi State defensive tackle Chris Jones, one of the last players at the downtown Chicago theater, went to Kansas City at No. 37.
Linebacker Reggie Ragland (No. 41 to Buffalo), defensive tackles A’Shawn Robinson (No. 46 for Detroit) and Jarran Reed (No. 49 to Seattle) and cornerback Cyrus Jones (No. 60 to New England) made it five players for Alabama in the second round. Kenyan Drake, Henry’s backup with the Crimson Tide, went to Miami in the third round.
Center Ryan Kelly was the only one from Nick Saban’s program to go on the first day.
Also worth noting: defensive end Noah Spence from Eastern Kentucky to Tampa Bay at No. 39, and wide receiver Michael Thomas of Ohio State to New Orleans at No. 47. Spence began his collegiate career with the Buckeyes, but was banned from the Big Ten after two failed drug tests. Thomas is the nephew of 1996 top overall draft pick Keyshawn Johnson.
Ohio State had five players go in the top 20 of the first round, and five more were picked Friday, a record for the first three rounds in the modern era of the draft since 1967. Braxton Miller, a former quarterback who played wide receiver last season, went to Houston at No. 85.
Three quarterbacks were selected on the second day: Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg to the New York Jets at No. 51; North Carolina State’s Jacoby Brissett to New England at 91; and Southern California’s Cody Kessler at No. 93 to Cleveland. But Michigan State QB Connor Cook was among the top players still on the board heading into today.
Sports on 04/30/2016