Jaylon Smith Selected by Dallas Cowboys in 2016 NFL Draft

It wasn’t that long ago that Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Jaylon Smith was considered one of the elite prospects in the 2016 NFL draft class and a potential top-five pick.   

Unfortunately, that all came crashing down when he suffered a knee injury last season, which required surgery, in his team’s Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State on New Year’s Day. While that injury cost him the chance to be a first-round pick during Thursday’s NFL draft, he was still a consensus All-American who could be worth the wait in the long run.

The Dallas Cowboys recognized Smith's long-term potential and on Friday wasted little time in acquiring him, bringing the Fighting Irish star aboard with the 34th overall pick in the second round.

Fox Sports' Peter Schrager brought up a key anecdote to accentuate why America's Team felt comfortable enough to invest in Smith:

However, Tom Pelissero of USA Today noted Smith's “peroneal nerve remains asleep, leaving him unable to lift his left foot or swing it out to the side.” Pelissero said the issue will likely keep the former Notre Dame standout off the field for the entire 2016 campaign, which left him as too risky of a pick for teams in Round 1.

Once he is healthy, Smith will look to return to the overwhelming production that made him a top-notch prospect at one point. His NFL.com draft profile highlighted the fact that he won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker and led the Fighting Irish with 113 tackles, with nine coming for a loss. He also led Notre Dame in tackles the previous campaign.

Smith’s name was not called on Thursday, so it was natural to wonder when a team would select him.

Chris Emma of 670 The Score in Chicago believed Smith’s fall would be a predominant storyline in the second round:

College Football 24/7 of NFL.com highlighted the fact that there were plenty of talented options who saw their stocks drop:

Ian Kenyon of Bleacher Report thought Smith and UCLA Bruins product Myles Jack would be well worth the risk:

The Jacksonville Jaguars wound up trading up Friday to select Jack 36th overall, hinting at the potential of the injury-stricken linebackers.

Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller ranked Smith as the second-best linebacker in the draft behind only Jack and gave him a final grade of 7.9 on his nine-point ranking scale. Miller said Smith was a Round 1 pick with “Pro Bowl potential” and said he would have been the highest-ranked player in the entire 2016 class were it not for the injury.

Adam Schefter of ESPN had noted even before Smith came off the board in the second round that he may not wait to hear his name for long:

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com wanted the Browns to be the one calling Smith’s name, but they went with Oklahoma State Cowboys defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah instead:

Miller pointed to Smith’s incredible sideline-to-sideline speed and ability to play on all three downs. He was versatile enough to stuff the run up the middle, attack quarterbacks off the edge and even guard receivers in the slot if necessary.

That type of athleticism helped Smith pursue running backs, and he brought plenty of power on his tackles.

Smith implored NFL scouts to overlook the injury concerns because of that talent, via ThePostGame.com:

"

.@thejaylonsmith’s message to NFL scouts worried about his knee injury: Have faith.https://t.co/2p9KLGuHRH

— ThePostGame.com (@ThePostGame) April 28, 2016"

Newly minted Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott was among those to reach out and congratulate Smith on Friday:

Between his length at 6’2”, overall quickness, instincts, versatility and hard-hitting power, the 223-pound Smith is the perfect linebacker machine for the next level. Now all he has to do is focus on getting healthy.

Dallas may draw criticism for choosing a running back so high and for taking a considerable risk on Smith early on Day 2 of the draft.

However, if the two players live up to their talent and potential, the Cowboys may well have gotten two of the very best prospects from the 2016 class.

Smith may not make an immediate impact as a rookie due to his injury situation, but Dallas has the luxury of sitting him for now with linebackers on the roster that include Sean Lee and Rolando McClain.