INDIANAPOLIS — Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith has failed his NFL Combine physical with multiple teams, according to league sources.
While details and the extent of the knee injury are unknown, multiple teams were unable to pass Smith’s medical evaluations on Friday. The Irish linebacker had surgery in January to repair a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee. The original injury occurred in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1.
Smith, who started all 39 games in his three seasons at Notre Dame, was optimistic that there wouldn’t be any long-term nerve damage to the knee. He is only seven weeks removed from post-op and plans to attend the medical re-checks in April.
“The nerve wasn’t stretched at all,” Smith said Friday. “It’s just the healing game, that’s all. It’s a process. I’ll be back 100 percent. We just don’t know when.”
Smith added that there wasn’t any soreness in the knee and has been off pain pills for “almost a month.”
In most cases, a failed physical removes a player from a team’s draft board, but time will tell if the medical re-checks reveal any new information. Regardless, Smith is staying positive.
“I’m hoping to go top-10,” Smith said. “I view myself as the best player in the draft, you know? It’s just a matter of waiting and enjoying the process and controlling what I can control. I’m having a blast with all the fellas out here.”
–Dane Brugler is senior analyst of NFLDraftScout.com, owned and distributed by The Sports Xchange, in cooperation with CBSSports.com.