The Dallas Cowboys surprised a lot of people when they selected former Notre Dame Fighting Irish star Jaylon Smith in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Smith is recovering from a serious knee injury that brought an end to his college career, and many believe there is a chance he may be forced to miss his entire rookie season.
However, the Cowboys selected Smith with hopes that he would be able to return to his old form.
If that is to happen, there is at least one NFL executive who believes Jaylon Smith could go on to become the best second-round pick in the history of the league.
#NFL personnel director told me #Cowboys taking @thejaylonsmith round 2 could be greatest No 2 pick ever. If healthy, he's top 5 any draft
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) May 5, 2016
That’s some awfully high praise.
But when you consider Smith would have been a first-round pick last year and in the No. 1 overall pick discussion this year, it’s easy to understand why there is so much excitement about his talent.
And as far as the Cowboys are concerned, Smith’s knee will recover in time.
“We have a firm belief, if you look at the history of injuries like this, that the nerve ultimately fires, some take longer than others,” Stephen Jones said. “But at the end of the day, we think it will. And then once it does fire, usually it takes about – our guys say – from an inch to an inch and a half per month in terms of ultimately healing and getting full feeling back. We feel really good about that.”
It’s going to be interesting to see how the Smith selection plays out over the next few years, but it seems clear that he is projected to be a boom or bust prospect.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
