UCLA LB Myles Jack’s Knee Could Force A Fall To The New York Giants

Conflicting reports about UCLA linebacker Myles Jack could force teams in the top ten to pass on one of the draft’s top talents. Jack is super athletic and can get to the ball from all over the field. He’s the prototypical linebacker for the modern NFL where excellence in coverage is a hot commodity.

In early mock drafts, Jack was speculated to be taken as high as third to the Chargers or to the Cowboys or Jaguars immediately following. Jack did not participate in the on-field portion of the combine in February, but was cleared by the UCLA surgeon in early March. At the UCLA pro day on March 15 in front of nearly 100 NFL personnel, Jack was deemed at about 80 percent health and gave an impressive performance.

Jack seemed to be on course for a clean bill of health and an early selection in the 2016 NFL Draft. Then came the medical re-checks earlier this month. Sources told NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport they had “differing opinions” on Jack’s meniscus tear and he wasn’t making the progress they had hoped. Others had no such concern.

The uncertainty for some teams may be enough to cause Jack’s fall. NJ Advance Media’s Mark Eckel reported this week that Jack could even fall out of the top ten. Eckel cited two NFL executives that confirmed teams were “scared off” by Jack’s progress. In his mock draft, Eckel has the UCLA phenom falling to the Atlanta Falcons with the 17th pick.

MMQB’s Peter King sees things differently. In his mock draft released on Monday, King has Jerry Reese and the New York Giants benefiting from the skepticism around Jack’s health.

Here’s King’s take:
“Let the debate begin over Jack’s health. Or continue. Some NFL teams think Jack eventually will need microfracture surgery on the wounded knee that was surgically repaired last fall. Microfracture surgery is risky, and not every player responds the same to it. But I hear the Giants think Jack’s knee is OK. If it is, New York has the best sideline-to-sideline linebacker in the draft, and that’s been a huge position of need on the Giants defense.”

The beauty of the draft is that it just takes one team to believe in a player. If the Giants medical staff believes in Jack’s progress, as King reported, they could land a top-tier linebacker with the tenth pick. If the skepticism is correct and Jack’s injury is a lasting one, Reese will find himself with yet another player on the injured reserve and his fate as a GM will be in jeopardy.