Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly called Jaylon Smith's Fiesta Bowl knee injury "significant." On Tuesday, ESPN's Chris Mortensen shed some light on just how significant Smith's injury was.
Mortensen reported Smith suffered a torn ACL and MCL and will undergo reconstructive knee surgery on Thursday. Smith was injured when Ohio State offensive lineman shoved him after a play, which led Smith to land awkwardly on his left leg. He laid on the University of Phoenix Stadium turf for a few minutes before being helped off, and was seen on the sidelines in the second half on crutches with a brace on his left leg.
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Smith, who has not announced if he'll declare for the NFL Draft, was projected to be a top-10 or top-15 pick plenty of mock drafts prior to his injury. In CBS Sports' latest mock draft, Rob Rang has Smith going No. 20 to the New York Jets, while Dane Brugler does not have Smith being selected in the first round.
The Fort Wayne, Ind. native was a consensus All-American and won the 2015 Butkus Award, joining ex-Irish linebacker Manti Te'o as the only recipients of both the high school and college iterations of that honor.
Notre Dame has already seen three of its players declare early for the NFL Draft: Running back C.J. Prosise, wide receiver Will Fuller and cornerback KeiVarae Russell.