NFL Draft: Myles Jack falls out of the 1st Round

Myles Jack, a top five player in the draft by most accounts, surprisingly fell out of the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

When the Oakland Raiders were on the clock, just about everyone in Raider Nation was hoping Reggie McKenzie would take Jack, regardless of his knee issue.

Speaking of that knee, that’s exactly why Jack tumbled out of the first round.

Just before the draft, Jack spoke candidly about his knee:

"“(The degenerative problems are) there, but it’s nothing extreme,” Jack told The New York Post on Wednesday. “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.”"

Perhaps Jack should have either been more optimistic — or just completely vague — but this is information NFL teams likely already knew, so it’s hard to see his quotes were damaging to his draft stock.

To be more specific on Jack’s knee, he is reportedly suffering from an issue known as the osteochondral defect. A source described the injury for NFL.com:

"“Instead, the cartilage and bone have begun to separate, creating what is referred to by medical professionals as an osteochondral defect.”"

In September, when Jack was injured, the diagnosis was a torn meniscus. Obviously a severe injury, but it’s not something that is unheard of by any means. So to learn that the injury is more severe when NFL teams conducted medical evaluations was terrible news for Jack.

It’ll be interesting to see how much farther Jack falls in the draft, but he’s a rare talent and I think the Raiders absolutely should take him 44th overall, if he’s available.

If the Raiders land Jack, and he is able to recover from his health injury, they’re getting themselves a special talent.

It’s unlikely he plays any running back in the NFL, but it just shows the type of talent that Jack is.

He’d be able to come in and fill the need at inside linebacker, but his athleticism allows him to drop into coverage and be used as a situational pass rusher.

Admittedly, he is undersized for the position, but like the Raiders first round pick Karl Joseph, he certainly doesn’t play like it.

So cross you fingers, folks. This defense would be nasty if Jack was added to the mix.

But if the team decides to pass, it’s safe to say that the team believes his knee might be shot. So the fanbase hopefully will understand if that happens.

We’ll find out tomorrow.