Myles Jack's Knee Has NFL Experts Worried

Myles Jack is a phenomenal football player on tape, he’s so good in fact, that some evaluators believe he is the best player in the 2016 NFL Draft class. But a right knee injury that sidelined Jack for most of UCLA’s 2015 season could be worse than first thought and the stud linebacker could fall precipitously on Thursday night.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport has reported the issue with Jack’s knee isn’t the torn lateral meniscus that sidelined him in September, it’s a deeper investigation of the rest of the knee that is troubling. Rapoport cites several sources who claim the cartilage and bone have “begun to separate” in the knee, “creating what is referred to by medical professionals as an osteochondral defect.” If that continues, Jack would need major surgery to repair it, possibly even microfracture surgery.

Similarly, Mike Mayock claims Jack’s knee issues are a major problem and he doubts the 20-year-old goes in the top 10 as a result.

Others have chimed in agreeing with this assessment. Even Jack himself has admitted there could be problems.

So are teams throwing up a smokescreen or is Jack damaged goods? If you’re an NFL general manager and you take a risk on a player with Jack’s injury concerns and he winds up needing more surgery, you will have risked your job. Similarly, if you’re a GM for a linebacker-needy team and you pass on Jack, you better hope he doesn’t become a perennial Pro Bowler.

Jack will certainly be one of the players to watch during Thursday night’s first round. If concerns about his knee are real, he could plummet, if not, he’ll be off the board quickly.