Meet Jaylon Smith, the 2016 NFL Draft's Top LB Heading into Next Season
Heading into the 2015 college football season, linebacker looks as though it could be one of the 2016 NFL draft's strongest positions. Even so, there is one linebacker whose game appears to stand out above the rest of the class, and that linebacker is Notre Dame junior Jaylon Smith.
Ranked one of the top three recruits in the high school class of 2013 by 247Sports, Rivals and Scout, Smith has legitimized the hype in his first two seasons with the Fighting Irish. Named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press in 2014, Smith has started all 26 games in his Notre Dame career and has already accumulated 179 total tackles, including 15.5 for loss.
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| Year | Total Tackles | Tackles for Loss | Sacks | Forced Fumbles |
| 2013 | 67 | 6.5 | 0 | 1 |
| 2014 | 112 | 9.0 | 3.5 | 1 |
Smith has the size NFL teams look for in a linebacker, at 6'2½" and 235 pounds, and supplements those measurables with top-of-the-line athleticism. By packaging those physical tools with solid fundamentals and a high football IQ, Smith could be well on his way to being a top-10 overall pick next spring.
A Versatile Linebacker Who Can Do It All
One of the first things that stands out about Smith is that he lines up all over the field for Notre Dame. While he most often starts the play at the second level between the hashes, he also sometimes splits out into coverage over a slot receiver or lines up as a blitzing pass-rusher on the edge.
The following screenshots, each captured from the first quarter of Draft Breakdown's cut-up of Smith's game against Michigan last season, illustrate a number of the different spots where you might see the Notre Dame stalwart lined up at any given time.
The next thing that stands out about Smith is that regardless of where he starts a play, he can finish a play anywhere on the field. Possessing a cheetah-like burst, Smith accelerates with great speed and truly exhibits sideline-to-sideline range.
The following play from 2014 against Florida State was a great example of Smith's ability to chase down runs in pursuit. Despite starting the play from the right hashmark, then being briefly impeded by Seminoles tight end Nick O'Leary driving teammate Joe Schmidt backward into him, Smith kept his feet moving fast and was able to chase Florida State running back Dalvin Cook out to the left sideline for a tackle 10 yards downfield.
Smith can be just as dangerous attacking downhill as he is pursuing a play laterally. He showed that on the following play, from the Michigan game, as he flew right by Wolverines right tackle Ben Braden to go directly at a run going left and catch running back Derrick Green from behind for a three-yard tackle for loss.
Enabled by his athleticism to make plays all over the field, Smith is a fundamentally sound tackler who consistently finishes plays by wrapping up the ball-carrier and using his strength to drive his opponent down to the ground.
Smith still needs to get better at shedding blocks, and he does get driven backward away from runs at times when he allows blockers to get their hands into his pads. But as long as he has a strong defensive line in front of him that can help keep him clean, his athleticism should enable him to immediately begin making plays from inside to outside—even against faster NFL offenses.
Dropping back into coverage is another area where Smith puts his athletic ability to great use. Smith is not only a fluid athlete but also a smart player who consistently shows the awareness to get himself into proper coverage positions.
One example of that came in the second half of Notre Dame's 2013 win against USC. As you can see in the following video, which includes analysis from Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly and NBC broadcast analyst Mike Mayock, Smith exhibited a great "feel" for coverage in making an interception that helped lead his team to a 14-10 victory.
That remains the only interception of Smith's career to this point, but while he does not make big plays on the ball with frequency, he also rarely gets burned.
Notre Dame does not frequently utilize Smith in man coverage against receivers and tight ends, but when he is put in those positions, he is capable of handling the responsibility. Because of his movement skills, Smith is able to run with offensive weapons down the field and cover deep when necessary.
Relative to the other areas of his game, Smith is a fairly weak pass-rusher. To this point in his career, he has not shown much in the way of pass-rushing moves that he can use to work his way around blockers when coming off the edge.
Nonetheless, Smith tied for second on the team in 2014 with 3.5 sacks. While he rarely wins off the edge unless he is unblocked, he can be very dangerous as a blitzer between the tackles because of his explosiveness.
See an example of that in the following clip. Smith covered 15 yards in a flash, taking advantage of an open B-gap to bring heavy pressure on Florida State quarterback and 2015 No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston, forcing Winston to throw the ball away.
Another responsibility with which Smith excels is spying the quarterback. He shows great discipline and patience in that role, and then once a quarterback decides to try to take off and run, Smith can again use his acceleration and tackling ability to quickly burst to the runner and finish the play.
In the following example, Smith looked like he was running through an agility drill at the NFL Scouting Combine, as he made it look easy. Initially showing blitz from the line of scrimmage, Smith dropped back into coverage while keeping his eyes on the quarterback, then smoothly shuffled laterally so that he could get himself to an angle from which he could hit the gas and track down Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner for a tackle three yards downfield, two yards short of a 3rd-and-5 conversion.
Another demonstration of Smith's ability to spy the quarterback is apparent in the following clip from last year's game against Louisville. Note that Smith, who was able to tackle Cardinals quarterback Reggie Bonnafon just one yard past the line of scrimmage, was wearing No. 38 in that game to honor Schmidt, who suffered a season-ending injury prior to that game.
Smith is a true every-down player at Notre Dame; in four games watched prior to writing this article, Smith was spotted on the field for the Fighting Irish on every defensive play.
Given his ability to impact the game as both a rangy run defender and a versatile pass defender, there's no reason to think Smith shouldn't continue to be a mainstay on the field for an NFL defense.
Ideally, Smith would be drafted to play as a weak-side linebacker in a 4-3 defense, which would be his best fit and the position that would most take advantage of his athletic ability and range. That said, Smith's skill set is well-rounded enough that he could play any linebacker position in a 4-3 front or as an inside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.
Garnering High Praise
Off-ball linebackers are typically not valued as highly as defensive linemen and pass-rushing specialists in the NFL draft. But while it has become unusual to see off-ball linebackers selected as top-10 draft picks, there are numerous well-reputed draft analysts who believe Smith has the talent to supersede that trend and be one of the first players off the board in 2016, assuming he declares.
Matt Miller, Bleacher Report's NFL Draft Lead Writer, currently considers Smith to be the best draft-eligible prospect in the nation, regardless of position, going into the 2015 season.
NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah, a former NFL scout, is another big believer in Smith's game. Jeremiah recently told FoxSports.com's Bruce Feldman that Smith reminds him of former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis, a five-time NFL All-Pro, "just in terms of sheer explosiveness."
"I don't know if there's a better talent in the country," Jeremiah told Feldman. "...I don't know what he'll run (in the 40), but it's really impressive when you watch him in a game against Florida State with Dalvin Cook and all the athletes they have and (Smith) looks like the fastest guy on the field."
Like Miller, Jeremiah has also taken to Twitter to share his love for the Notre Dame linebacker.
Media draft analysts are not the only ones who have publicly expressed praise for Smith's skill set. Feldman also shared a quote from an anonymous coach whose team played Notre Dame last season who was reportedly "wowed by Smith" and thinks the rising junior is a significantly better talent than former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o, who was a unanimous All-American in 2012 but only a second-round pick (No. 38 overall) in the 2013 NFL draft.
"(Smith) is a legit sideline-to-sideline guy and twice the athlete Te'o was," the coach told Feldman. "He looks like an SEC linebacker."
If NFL teams don't have views similar to Miller, Jeremiah and at least one college football coach, it would be a big surprise. So long as Smith continues to perform at a high level and progress this upcoming season, he should certainly be a Round 1 pick—and perhaps a very high one—even though his competition at the linebacker position is no joke.
Can Another Linebacker Move Ahead of Smith?
While Smith has a skill set that should universally appeal to every team interested in adding a linebacker through the 2016 NFL draft, there are a number of other standout prospects at the position who could challenge Smith's standing as the top linebacker in the class.
Ohio State's Darron Lee is only a redshirt sophomore, but he is already well on his way to being a first-round pick should he enter the draft with two years of eligibility remaining. Coming off a breakout season last year, Lee—like Smith—is an outstanding athlete who can make plays all over the gridiron.
Arizona junior Scooby Wright III was the Football Bowl Subdivision's most productive defensive player in 2014, and he took home virtually every major award for college football defenders as a result. He is a strong block-shedder who has a relentless motor. But because he is a limited athlete by NFL standards, it is questionable how well his production will translate to the next level, and his upside is significantly lower than that of Smith or Lee.
Going back to tremendous athletes with huge upside, UCLA junior Myles Jack is an explosive, versatile linebacker who also sees playing time at running back. He's not quite the all-around player that Smith is, and he has a smaller frame with less growth potential, but he is another linebacker firmly within the first-round equation.
Jack is not the only smallish but tremendously athletic linebacker in Los Angeles with a first-round NFL draft future. But while USC junior Su'a Cravens has performed well at linebacker collegiately, and could be utilized there situationally at the next level, his NFL future is likely as a strong safety, where he started his Trojans career.
Those four underclassmen look to be the most likely linebackers to legitimately push Smith for position at the top of the 2016 draft. Other linebackers who could garner Round 1 consideration include Alabama's Reggie Ragland, Georgia's Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins and Auburn's Kris Frost and Cassanova McKinzy.
Teams in the market for a linebacker next spring will have no shortage of options available to them. But that shouldn't stop an organization from investing an early pick in Smith, who projects to be a star for an NFL defense for years to come.
This article is part of a series on the projected top prospects at each position for the 2016 NFL draft. Also read:
All GIFs were made at Gfycat using videos from Draft Breakdown and YouTube.
Dan Hope is an NFL/NFL Draft Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
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