The 2016 draft was historically productive for the Dallas Cowboys. Not only did they draft Rookie of the Year and MVP candidates Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott, but they also secured starters Maliek Collins and Anthony Brown along with a potential star TE Rico Gathers. It was an impressive haul to say the least but arguably the most memorable pick was 2nd round LB Jaylon Smith. We are all too familiar with the story about the projected top 5 pick that suffered a horrific injury in his final game at Notre Dame that potentially could have ended his career. This season he defied the odds and is playing football once again. It is a great story but looking back to the 2016 draft, was it the best pick for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2nd round?
There was another linebacker available for the Cowboys at the top of the 2nd round that year. This player was another potential top 5 pick who fell to the 2nd round due to injury concerns of his own. It was none other than Myles Jack from UCLA who ended up being selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars just a few picks later. The popular opinion at the time was that Myles Jack would be able to play right away but that his injury was degenerative and could result in a shortened career. Meanwhile, with Jaylon Smith there was serious doubt whether or not he would ever play football again, but if he did recover he could make a full recovery and enjoy a long career. Last season was not impactful for either player. Jaylon Smith did not see the field due to his injury and Myles Jack had very limited opportunities buried in the depth chart. This season both players have had significant playing time and therefore we can establish a basis for comparison.
Both players are playing in the same 4-3 defensive system but slightly different positions with Jaylon Smith at middle linebacker and Myles Jack playing strong side linebacker. Jaylon Smith plays at a position that is normally more impactful but unlike Myles Jack, who is a full time starter, he has been mostly used in a rotation. Here are the numbers put up by both players so far in the 2017 season:
|
PLAYER |
TACKLES | TACKLES
FOR LOSS |
SACKS | FORCED
FUMBLES |
FUMBLES
RECOVERED |
INT’S | PASS
DEFENSED |
DEF TD’S |
|
MYLES JACK |
82 |
4 |
2.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
1 |
|
JAYLON SMITH |
76 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
0 |
Myles Jack has put up slightly better numbers but they are remarkably similar in most defensive categories. Jack is really developing into a solid player and he has impressive athleticism. Jack also has the advantage of playing on the best defense in the NFL which takes a lot of pressure off him. The question remains; Will his knee hold up and allow him to have a prolonged career in the NFL?
Jaylon Smith does not have the luxury of playing on an elite defense and this season he has been put in some difficult situations while the Cowboys had to deal with injures in the linebacking corps. While Smith has his share of critics, especially earlier this year when he was thrust into the starting role and really got exposed as a liability in coverage, but it is easy to forget that he is still not 100% healed from his near catastrophic injury. It is quite remarkable that he can do what he is doing now without the ability to lift his foot. Even still you can see flashes of his elite athleticism when he tracks down and closes on a ball carrier. The Cowboys training staff fully expects him to be at or near 100% for the 2018 season. If this holds true, next season we will see if his earlier struggles where due to physical or psychological limitations arising from his injury or simply a lack of knowledge and instincts that is required to excel at the highest level. After all, athleticism can only take you so far.
Just as it was in the 2016 draft the future of both of these players is unclear but the upside is ever more tangible here and now in 2017. It is often said that it takes 3 years to determine if a draft pick is successful or not. In this case we will probably have to wait a few more years to truly determine if Myles Jack or Jaylon Smith was the better draft pick.
All data collected and verified through http://www.profootballreference.com and http://www.espn.com
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
Why the NFL Draft is bigger than the Super Bowl for Cowboy fans