Cowboys draft Jaylon Smith at 32nd despite Jan. 1 knee blowout

— -- IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys stopped Jaylon Smith's slide by selecting the  Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday, 34th overall.

The Cowboys made the selection knowing Smith will not play in 2016 but also comforted in knowing one of their team doctors, Dr. Daniel Cooper, performed the surgery and is more familiar with Smith's recovery than anybody.

Smith suffered torn anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments in his left knee Jan. 1 in the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl against  Ohio State Buckeyes. The delay in his return to the field is nerve damage, but the Cowboys are confident the nerve will refire.

Smith will receive $900,000 via loss of value insurance, which is tax free, a source with knowledge of the policy told ESPN's Darren Rovell.

Had Smith, 6-foot-2, 223 pounds, not gotten hurt, then he could have been an option for the Cowboys with the fourth overall pick. He had 113 tackles, nine tackles for loss and five pass breakups.

In the past the Cowboys have been willing to take chances on injured players. In 2010, they drafted Sean Lee in the second round despite knowing he had a partially torn ACL. A year later the Cowboys drafted Bruce Carter in the second round despite a torn ACL suffered in his final season at North Carolina.

Dr. Cooper is not the only connection to the organization. Smith's brother, Rod, is a running back for the Cowboys.