Myles Jack Is 2016 NFL Draft's Biggest Loser

Myles Jack was not selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. About a month ago that seemed impossible, but the UCLA linebacker’s ongoing knee issues scared teams away and now there is no telling where he’ll land. Considering he was long projected to be a top five pick, Jack was clearly the draft’s biggest loser.

Jack tore the lateral meniscus in his right knee in September, but concerns are much bigger than that, and he may eventually need microfracture surgery. So while Laremy Tunsil had a horrendous time on Thursday evening, Myles Jack wound up far worse off.

The fifth overall pick in this year’s draft (Jalen Ramsey, Jacksonville Jaguars) will get a contract that’s total value will be $23.351 million. If Jack goes with the first pick in the second round, he’ll get a deal worth $6,609,641. So in the worst-case scenario he has already lost roughly $16.74 million. That’s a lot of money.

If Jack falls out of the second round, the first pick in the third round gets a deal worth $3,506,178. That’s a loss of $19,8 million. So if he somehow doesn’t get taken in the second round, he’ll have essentially lost $20 million in a month. Those are Michael Jordan gambling-loss numbers.

The sad thing is that, unlike Tunsil, Jack’s issues aren’t self-inflicted. The kid got injured and his body hasn’t healed properly. It’s a really sad story, and a really talented kid is on the wrong end of it.