Fifteen months after being drafted, Jaylon Smith has finally made it to the training camp and is getting ready for his first NFL season. He was a second round pick in the 2016 NFL draft but was forced to miss his whole rookie year because of the nerve damage in his knee. The 22-year-old linebacker was a very good prospect coming into the NFL draft, and if he can stay healthy, there is no doubt that he is going to contribute to this Cowboys defense that definitely needs a boost.
He spent a lot of the offseason working with the team every other day. The rehab went very well so far, and Jaylon Smith is very proud of the job that he has done recovering from his injury but realizes that this is still not the end of the road for him. Even though the doctors say that he is on a good path, they are still monitoring him and having him limited in practices.
Coach Jason Garrett has liked what he has seen out of Jaylon Smith so far, and he hopes that the second year man can avoid having to deal with another injury.
“I first met him at the Combine. We went through the whole process with him, and the reports from Notre Dame were off the charts and our experiences with him leading up to the draft were off the charts. And he hasn’t disappointed. The expectations for him as a guy were really high, I think he’s exceeded all of them.”
Usually when a player is drafted in the early rounds like Jaylon was, the expectations are going to be high, especially considering the fact that Dallas needs a boost on the defensive side of the ball. Hopefully, he can stay healthy, help his squad and have a long career.
