Myles Jack would have been better off with a gas mask than the truth. The UCLA linebacker that figured to be a top-five pick parachuted out of the first round entirely after acknowledging he’ll need microfracture surgery.
“[The degenerative problems are] there, but it’s nothing extreme,” Jack said. “Down the line, possibly I could have microfracture surgery — potentially. Who knows what will happen? Nobody knows how long anybody is going to play in this league. To play three years in this league would be above average.”
And over the falls Jack went. This is not conjecture. Panthers GM Dave Gettleman said that if it weren’t for Jack offering his take on his medical future, he wouldn’t have fallen.
Asked if he was surprised Jack fell, Gettleman said, “Not after what he said today, very frankly. The kid came out and said he is going to need a microfracture.”
Laremy Tunsil, he of the aforementioned gas mask, only slipped to 13. Though we’ve heard many times, you can’t fix stupid, NFL teams were willing to take a risk on a kid like Tunsil who is healthy physically but moronic enough to allow someone to fix a camera on him while he smokes weed.
But not Jack. What’s pertinent on Friday as the second and third rounds draw closer is how far will Jack drop and whether the Patriots would be willing to make a move to go up and get him.
It’s spitballing we’ve been doing with Notre Dame’s Jaylon Smith all week as well.
New England Patriots
Indications I’ve gotten are that the Patriots would indeed be willing to take the risk with Jack but that there’s much more concern about Smith, who’s got nerve damage in the wake of his January knee blowout.
With the Patriots holding four picks on Friday, the opportunity is there for the team to roll the dice a bit. They’ll want to get one surefire contributor who figures to be a safe pick. But with the roster as well-stocked as it is, rolling the dice on first-round talent that’s slipped down the board could also be in play.
To get Jack, the Patriots may have to move up into the 30s. Conjecture has been that he won’t last long once Round 2 begins.
Amazing the Pandora’s Box opened by going to Vegas, leaning on integrity of the game.