Notre Dame football: Top-10 draft picks of the Brian Kelly era
2. Jaylon Smith
- Dallas Cowboys, 2016: Round 2, Pick 34
Because of his knee injury, concerns were surrounding Jaylon Smith in the 2016 NFL Draft. In all fairness to those concerns, he did miss what would have been his rookie season too, but let’s be realistic, concerns over knee injuries are dated. The way medicine has advanced and the access that these teams have is incredible.
For the Cowboys, he was simply too talented to pass up in the second round.
That talent has shone through in the NFL. In just three playing seasons, Smith has 498 tackles, nine sacks, 20 tackles for loss, two INTs, and six forced fumbles. He even made the 2019 Pro Bowl. Even early in his career, it’s clear Smith is going to be one of the best linebackers in the game for the remainder of his career.
He’s simply too athletic not to continue to play at such a high level.
Smith has the potential to put together a Hall of Fame career, and he was an absolute steal in the second round for the Dallas Cowboys, especially looking at the linebackers taken ahead of Smith. Leonard Floyd and Darron Lee are still trying to figure things out in the NFL after all. Meanwhile, Kevin Dodd isn’t even in football anymore.