Jaylon Smith Comments on Injury, Recovery Process, More

Top 2016 NFL draft prospect Jaylon Smith was a dynamic linebacker at Notre Dame but had an unfortunate end to his collegiate career when he tore his ACL and LCL in a Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State.

Nevertheless, Smith believes he is the best player in the draft, as he told NFL Network's Kimberly Jones on Sunday from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

"Everything will be fine. Recovery process has taken off. We know I'll be 100 [percent] again, only a matter of when," said Smith, per Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, who also weighed in on how the college star stacks up with the best prospects from the past decade:

To back up Miller's assessment with uncommon poise and maturity, Smith didn't blame the last game that stood in his way from being a surefire first-round draft pick for his unfortunate current circumstances.

"Even if I had a chance to go back, I would play in the bowl game again," said Smith, per ProFootballTalk.com's Michael David Smith. "You're playing in the Fiesta Bowl, first time in my life, against a great team in Ohio State. I would never want to let my teammates down, and no regrets."

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport relayed an ominous report regarding Smith's health on Friday that would discourage even his most optimistic fans.

Rapoport reported Smith went through medical testing, was found to have knee and ankle nerve issues and some teams believe he's out for at least the entire 2016 season. Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson also reported Smith was 20 pounds below his playing weight of 243.

Only 20 years old, Smith still has plenty of time to recover and return to the elite form he flashed with the Fighting Irish. He was the Butkus Award winner this past season as the nation's best college linebacker.

Despite Smith's optimistic outlook and how rash it would be to write him off so early, the medical red flags are severe enough to cause his stock to sink.

The next hurdle to clear will be a re-evaluation in April, when Smith can perhaps put to rest some of the concerns surrounding his surgically repaired knee with marked progress in medical tests. If his recovery isn't going so well by then, though, he's almost certain to fall out of the first round.