Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith was expected to be a top pick in the 2016 NFL Draft before he tore his knee up in the Fiesta Bowl. Now one of the draft's most intriguing stories is where Smith, who some say will return heatlhy despite the severity of the knee injury, will be picked in the draft.
It sounds like the predictions we had of him going on day three aren't going to happen. ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that Smith will go much higher than we think this weekend.
Even with the catastrophic knee injury, Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith is expected to gone by end of round 3, maybe earlier, per league sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 27, 2016
One NFL head coach even predicted this morning that Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith could go "at the end of (round) 1, maybe round 2."
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 27, 2016
You know who picks at the end of round one? The Chiefs! I have no idea if the Chiefs would be interested in taking him. They say Smith is going to sit out the 2016 season but could recover for the 2017 season.
On the surface, the Chiefs are the type of team who could take him. They're a good, deep team whose first round pick probably isn't going to be the difference maker in 2016 (you can't expect a Marcus Peters every year). The Chiefs have Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali getting older so they could certainly use some linebacker help in the future. And the Chiefs can be patient with their first round pick if the payoff is a player of Smith's potential.
That said ... the first round is a little early for me unless the Chiefs doctors are sure he's going to be fine. I don't think they can be sure of that. Sign me up for strong consideration in the second round.