Myles Jack is out for the year. Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
By Dane Brugler, The Sports Xchange
UCLA junior linebacker Myles Jack will miss the remainder of the 2015 season with a “significant” knee injury suffered at Tuesday’s practice.
Jack’s injury marks the third season-ending injury for a highly rated Bruins’ defense, joining defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes and cornerback Fabian Moreau.
The specifics on the knee injury have yet to be announced but coach Jim Mora said Wednesday, “Myles suffered a knee injury and had surgery last night and he’s out for the year.”
Considered a possible top-10 selection by scouts, Jack’s projection to the next level now becomes much more complicated. He has the option of rehabbing and returning to UCLA next season as a senior in order to have a full season healthy before going pro. But the more likely future for Jack is that he tests the NFL waters after the 2015 season, even with the injury.
So if the 6-foot-1, 245-pound Jack was a top-10 pick prior to the injury, where will he land now post-injury? That’s the difficult question that will depend on his recovery status throughout the pre-draft process next spring. The medical evaluations at the NFL Combine in February are vital for his draft projection as team doctors are able to give scouts and general managers an update on his rehab. Georgia’s Todd Gurley tore his ACL last November and was unable to work out for NFL teams prior to the 2015 NFL Draft, but he chose to leave school early and because his rehab went smoothly, the Rams drafted the running back 10th overall.
On the field, Jack is the total package as a linebacker with the athleticism, strength and instincts to play the game at a high level. He is an athletic specimen to star in coverage, but also can process everything going on around him, anticipating and attacking. Jack brings the same intensity to the field on every play and has a scheme-versatile skill-set to fit any defense.
