Jaylon Smith - Pro Football Rumors

Draft Rumors: Cowboys, Myles Jack, J. Smith

March 2nd, 2016 at 8:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agency is dominating NFL conversation at the moment, but the draft isn’t that far away, either. Here are the latest news and notes surrounding collegiate prospects and their impending entry to the league:

In a piece previewing several developmental options that could make sense for Dallas, Gil Brandt of NFL.com reveals that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently told Brandt “unequivocally” that his club will not select a QB with the fourth overall pick. Dallas has been linked to Cal’s Jared Goff and North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz, as the thinking goes that the team would like to draft an heir apparent to Tony Romo — in fact, Jones said this morning that he’d like to find Romo’s successor. But the Cowboys have enough holes, especially on defense, that it probably makes more sense to use their first pick at a different position, especially if the front office is confident Romo can steer the ship for a few more years.
UCLA linebacker Myles Jack is drawing rave reviews from NFL coaches, and they believe Jack can play five positions, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The 6’1”, 225-pounder was certainly a jack-of-all-trades (excuse the pun) for the Bruins, as he saw time at both inside and outside linebacker, safety, nickel corner, and running back, and even returned the occasional kick. Jack is the No. 1 overall player of Josh Norris of Rotoworld‘s big board.
Another collegiate linebacker — Notre Dame’s Jaylon Smith — was thought to be competing with Jack to become the first defensive player selected, but that changed when Smith suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his final college game. A report last week indicated that NFL clubs are also concerned about possible nerve damage in Smith’s ankle, but it sounds as if at least one team isn’t worried. According to ESPN’s Todd McShay, via Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com (Twitter link), Smith is still the No. 1 overall player on one club’s draft board. On the other hand, “a couple” other teams have removed the linebacker from their boards altogether.

Extra Points: J. Smith, Strong, Packers, Cowboys

February 29th, 2016 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Typically, teams can get some deals done with their pending free agents between the franchise-tag deadline and the start of free agency, while they still have the right to exclusively negotiate with those players. Last year, for instance, players like Patriots safety Devin McCourty and Packers wideout Randall Cobb re-upped with their respective teams just before reaching the open market.

According to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union, however, Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell doesn’t expect many players to fall into that category this year. Referring to free agents around the league, rather than just his own players, Caldwell suggested that if they’re not locked up by Tuesday’s franchise-tag deadline, they’ll likely hit the open market. While O’Halloran doesn’t go into detail on Caldwell’s thoughts on the issue, I imagine players will be eager to see what sort of offers are out there for them, now that so many clubs have so much cap space.

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the NFL….

Within his weekly MMQB column, Peter King provides a couple interesting draft-related notes, writing that at least one NFL GM remains bullish on injured Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith (“No chance he won’t play at some point, and play well”) and reporting that NFL Network draft expert Daniel Jeremiah received at least one offer from an NFL team within the last two months to head up that club’s personnel department.
Texans wide receiver Jaelen Strong was arrested late on Sunday night for possession of marijuana, tweets Jason Snavely of ABC15. The off-field incident will put Strong on the NFL’s radar for a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy, so discipline could be coming down the road.
While Packers general manager Ted Thompson hasn’t publicly announced how long he plans to continue in his current role, team president/CEO Mark Murphy said at the combine in Indianapolis that he has an idea of how much longer Thompson will stick around, and Murphy has a succession plan in mind, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
As Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News tweets, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is more confident about how to fortify the team’s running back spot than he is for some of Dallas’ holes on defense. “I can actually see ways and options at the running back [position] to get us in good shape,” Jones said. “I don’t actually see ways and have the name in place for the spot relative to the defense.”
In his latest piece for The Baltimore Sun, Jeff Zrebiec explores the Ravens‘ potential options for the No. 6 overall pick in the draft, and writes that offensive tackle Eugene Monroe, a release candidate, still appears unlikely to return to Baltimore in 2016.

Extra Points: Kaepernick, Draft, Flacco

February 27th, 2016 at 9:52pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Concern is growing at the scouting combine regarding injured Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith, who is recovering from a torn ACL and MCL he suffered in January. Multiple NFL teams have failed Smith at the physical, while three have already declared they won’t draft him, according to Jeff Legwold and Adam Schefter of ESPN. This comes on the heels of a Friday report stating that Smith might miss all of next season.

Prior to his injury, the expectation was that Smith would be an early first-round pick, but some clubs now believe he’ll be a Day 3 selection, per Tony Pauline of WalterFootball.com. Smith took out an insurance policy on himself last summer, so he’ll collect a tax-free $700k if he doesn’t go in the first round and another $100k with each missed pick thereafter, tweets ESPN’s Darren Rovell. Thanks to his insurance policy, Smith could make as much as $5MM if his draft stock plummets, per Rovell.

And now for some notes on QBs:

The fact that Colin Kaepernick wants out of San Francisco leaves the 49ers with little to no leverage in trade talks, writes Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Potential Kaepernick suitors could now be inclined to wait until a possible release by April 1, when his $12MM salary becomes guaranteed, rather than give anything up for him. If cut, Kaepernick would likely make less per year on his next deal, but his desire to get away from the 49ers outranks his motivation to cash in, per Barrows.
The Ravens and Joe Flacco‘s agent, Joe Linta, have made “significant progress” in their talks to rework the quarterback’s contract and are expected to have further discussions Sunday, ESPN’s Adam Caplan reports (link via Jamison Hemsley of ESPN.com).
North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz has been the most impressive signal-caller at the combine, three NFL head coaches told Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole (Twitter link).

Latest On Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith

February 27th, 2016 at 8:30am CST by Dallas Robinson

SATURDAY, 8:30am: “I’m going to be 100 percent again,” Smith said at his combine press conference (via Bart Hubbuch of the New York Daily News). “We just don’t know when.”

The writer notes that the linebacker is optimistic about his injury, and the player was also adamant that there’s no nerve damage in his knee. Still, Smith acknowledged that he took out an insurance policy on the injury last year.

“I feel great,” he said. “There’s no soreness in the knee, there’s no pain. I’ve been off pain pills for almost a month. It’s just a matter of the recovery process. I don’t know when the nerve and everything will heal. It’s just me taking it day-by-day and controlling what I can control.”

FRIDAY, 5:28pm: Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith was once considered by many to be the best defensive player entering this year’s draft, and was thought to be a potential top-10 selection. But after tearing his ACL and MCL in January, Smith’s status for the 2016 season is in question, as Dr. David Chao (formerly the Chargers’ team physician) tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports that Smith may need a “redshirt season,” meaning he might not be available until 2017.

The nature and timing of Smith’s knee injury is obviously unfortunate, but the more serious problem is the nerve damage that Smith suffered in his ankle, a source tells Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (Twitter link), who reports that Smith is “probably” not going to be able to play in 2016. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) goes even further, adding that NFL clubs believe Smith could be out even beyond the 2016 season.

Indeed, whether Smith will ever regain his full health — or anything close to it — appears to be something of an open question. A source told Marvez that two doctors have disparate opinions about Smith’s possible recovery — while one doctor was optimistic, another puts Smith’s chances for a complete recovery at just 10 percent.

Obviously, Smith’s health, wellness, and mobility are the primary concerns in this situation, but the stark reality is that this latest news will no doubt affect his draft stock. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, for example, once rated Smith as his No. 2 overall player, but now it’s fair to wonder if any club will risk taking Smith in the first round.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Draft Rumors: Titans, Browns, J. Smith, Cowboys

January 29th, 2016 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

The NFL season isn’t over yet, but teams around the league are already looking ahead to the draft April, spending this week meeting with and scouting players at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Checking in from Mobile, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report has several interesting draft-related tidbits to pass along, so let’s dive right in and check out the highlights….

The “biggest buzz” at the Senior Bowl this week is that the Titans are “absolutely” shopping the first overall pick in the draft, says Miller. General managers from rival teams expect the Browns and Rams to have the most interest in trading up to No. 1, though Cleveland exec Sashi Brown said earlier this week that he’d be shocked if his team moves up from No. 2.
Wherever the Browns end up picking, the expectation around the league is that they’ll target a quarterback, and Miller has heard all week from scouts that Cleveland prefers Carson Wentz to Jared Goff.
Jaylon Smith, who tore his ACL and LCL in the Fiesta Bowl, is already rehabbing twice a day as he recovers from the major knee injury, sources tell Miller. The Saints are among the clubs keeping a close eye on the Notre Dame linebacker, and it still appears likely that he’ll come off the board in the top half of the first round.
Miller’s sources don’t expect Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to use his team’s first-round pick on Tony Romo‘s backup and eventual successor. According to Miller, Dallas is more likely to roll the dice on a player like Robert Griffin III or Johnny Manziel — not necessarily as Romo’s successor, but at least as a short-term backup.
Sources inside the Texans tell Miller that Houston figures to focus on the offensive side of the ball with its first few picks in the draft.
Miller identifies Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Vernon Butler, Clemson wide receiver Charone Peake, and Temple defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis as some prospects that have improved their stock this week in Mobile.

Draft Notes: Quarterbacks, Smith, Clemson

January 16th, 2016 at 5:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

An AFC team’s scout revealed North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz rates as his team’s No. 1 quarterback in the 2016 draft class, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report writes.

Said team doesn’t expect the Division I-FCS national champion signal-caller to be on the board, however, when they select late in the first round.

Missing time due to injury this season, Wentz threw for 42 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions in his two years starting for the Bison.

Conversely, early-entry player Paxton Lynch did not impress one school’s scouting director, who told Miller, “Go watch him against any good team and tell me how he did. He’s overrated.”

In Mel Kiper Jr.’s first mock draft, the 6-foot-7 Lynch goes off the board at No. 15, with Wentz lasting until No. 22.

Here is some more about the upcoming draft class:

Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams announced he’d return for the 2016 season after fracturing his neck in a preseason accident. He would have rated as Miller’s No. 1 receiver in this class had he declared early. Miller also places Tigers defensive ends Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd among his top 25 prospects.
Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith‘s floor should be no lower than No. 18, an AFC scouting director tells NFL.com’s Albert Breer. The anonymous scouting director hasn’t seen any medical reports on Smith’s knee, recently repaired via reconstructive surgery, and how the early-entry linebacker’s medical evaluations go at the Scouting Combine next month will contribute to his placement, notes Breer, who adds the Irish’s top prospect would have gone in the top three or four picks had he not torn his ACL and MCL.
Another collegiate player with an ACL injury — Mississippi State corner Will Redmond — is also drawing attention from NFL scouts, per Breer. Redmond, who injured his knee in October, could be ready for the beginning of the season, and while he is now projected as a mid-round pick, he was garnering interest as potential first-rounder prior to his ACL tear.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith To Enter Draft

January 11th, 2016 at 11:40am CST by Zachary Links

JANUARY 11: Smith has announced (via Twitter) that he’ll enter the 2016 draft, despite his knee injury. A Friday report indicated that surgery on that torn ACL and MCL went about as well as could be expected, so perhaps the linebacker’s stock won’t slip too significantly.

JANUARY 5: Notre Dame outside linebacker Jaylon Smith will undergo reconstructive left knee surgery on Thursday, sources tell ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen (on Twitter). Smith was projected to go somewhere in the top 10 in this year’s draft by many pundits. Now, it’s unclear whether he’ll declare for the draft at all.

Smith was said to have suffered a “significant knee injury” during his team’s bowl game against Ohio State on New Year’s Day. Smith, a junior, was expected to be drafted near the top end of the first round — Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, for example, had Smith rated as his No. 2 overall player. Now facing a major injury and recovery time, Smith could either declare for the draft and get himself guaranteed money as he rehabs or return to school in an effort to be a top ten selection in 2017.

The most recent example of a top collegiate prospect suffering a knee injury is, of course, Todd Gurley, who was drafted with the 10th overall pick after tearing his ACL. However, these are two separate cases. Gurley, a running back, suffered his injury in mid-November, not January, and was considered a generational talent. Smith might not be regarded as a slam-dunk prospect to begin with, so it’s hard to say where his stock would be for this year’s draft.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Lions, Colts, Broncos, J. Smith

January 8th, 2016 at 9:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Now that the Lions have hired Bob Quinn as their new general manager, Detroit coaches are wondering if they still have a job, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Obviously, there will be some turnover as a new regime takes over, but two Lions coaches told Birkett they have not been updated as to the status of their employment.

However, the club’s head coach, Jim Caldwell, might be one of the lucky ones, as a Patriots insider tells Mike O’Hara of Lions.com that Quinn is likely to retain Caldwell for 2016. Detroit’s upper management has been adamant that the new GM would get to decide Caldwell’s fate, and while we’ll have to wait for official word, at least one source thinks Caldwell will get to stay.

Meanwhile, while interim GM Sheldon White was thanked in a team statement, there’s been no indication as to whether he’ll revert back to his old position of director of player personnel, tweets Paula Pasche of the Oakland Press.

Notre Dame’s Jaylon Smith Suffers Knee Injury

January 1st, 2016 at 4:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

In what is a terrible start to 2016 for one potential top-10 draft pick, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly told reporters, including Doug Lesmerises of Cleveland.com (Twitter link), that linebacker Jaylon Smith suffered a “significant knee injury” during his team’s bowl game against Ohio State today.

We’ll obviously have to wait for more details on the specific nature and severity of the injury, but the fact remains that this news will undoubtedly affect Smith’s draft stock. Smith, a junior, was expected to be drafted near the top end of the first round — Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, for example, had Smith rated as his No. 2 overall player. Because he is an underclassmen (and hasn’t yet officially declared for the draft), the possibility remains that he could return to school. But facing a major injury and recovery time, I’d guess Smith will want to get on an NFL roster and begin collecting a paycheck.

The most recent example of a top collegiate prospect suffering a knee injury is, of course, Todd Gurley, who was drafted with the 10th overall pick after tearing his ACL. Again, we don’t even know if that’s the same injury suffered by Smith, and there are differences here (Gurley suffered his injury in mid-November, not January, and was considered a generational talent). But the Gurely comparison might give some indication as to how far Smith can expect his stock to fall.

Ronnie Stanley, Shaq Lawson To Enter Draft

December 9th, 2015 at 4:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Notre Dame offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley is entering the 2016 NFL draft, according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). Stanley will forgo his senior season with the Fighting Irish to begin his NFL career next year.

The left tackle for Notre Dame, Stanley projects as one of the top offensive linemen available in this year’s draft. Miller has Stanley ranked fifth overall, and first among offensive linemen, on his most recent big board, while CBSSports.com places him 11th overall, and second among linemen.

Here are a few more Wednesday draft rumors and notes:

Another projected first-round pick, Clemson edge defender Shaq Lawson, told Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston that he’ll forgo his final year of college eligibility and enter the 2016 NFL draft. “It was a tough decision,” Lawson said. “I sat down with my family, sat down with the support staff at Clemson. I enjoyed being at Clemson, but it’s time. I’m ready for the next level.” Lawson ranks among the top 25 prospects for 2016, according the previously-linked big boards by Miller and CBSSports.com.
While there’s no official word yet, the expectation from some in the scouting community is that Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch will declare for the 2016 draft, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. In Matt Miller’s latest mock draft, Lynch is projected to come off the board first overall, to the Browns.
Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith and Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander are leaning toward entering the 2016 draft, reports Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter links).