Myles Jack rocks pro day, will he make it to 5 overall?
By Luke Sims
Myles Jack to the Jacksonville Jaguars has been a popular first round mock selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, but after a truly impressive pro day will the UCLA stud even fall to fifth overall?
It’s no secret the Jacksonville Jaguars need linebacker help and with Jaylon Smith’s injury problems the consensus top linebacker in the 2016 NFL Draft is Myles Jack out of UCLA.
Jack has all the skills needed in the modern NFL. He can cover, he can run sideline to sideline, and makes clean tackles. He’s the all-around guy that teams covet. Naturally, this will make him a high draft pick in 2016. Fifth overall wasn’t an uncommon mock in early 2016 NFL mock draft iterations, but after an impressive pro day he could go even higher.
Without being 100 percent, the recovering Jack still put on a terrific display according to Walter Football. He stood out in his positional drills, though he failed to run the 40-yard dash. Jack is the big draw and he disappointed by not doing every measurable drill, but he showed enough to warrant further consideration as a top-five selection or maybe even a top-three selection.
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With Jack showing off at
his self proclaimed 80 percent
after rehabbing his knee, it isn’t an unthinkable proposition that he’ll be off the board before the Jaguars even get on the clock at fifth overall. If that’s the case, the Jaguars will be missing out on one of the best defenders in the 2016 draft class, which the Jags are relying on to restock and repair their historically terrible unit.
With the Jags filling other needs in free agency – namely free safety and cornerback – and apparently relying on Dante Fowler Jr. to fill the leo role (the Jags have no signed a pass rusher one week into free agency, whiffing on the few visits they’ve managed to attract), Jack would be the next natural fit. If the he’s off the board, the Jags may be forced to address pass rusher with a player like Joey Bosa or Deforest Buckner.
While that wouldn’t be the worst scenario for the Jaguars, picking Myles Jack would have been a widely applauded move for the team. We’ll have to see how things shake out on draft day, but if Jack can do even better as he nears 100 percent health it doesn’t seem all that possible teams in front of the Jags won’t make a move for him.