Jaguars take linebacker Myles Jack despite knee concerns
— -- Myles Jack, the former UCLA linebacker who fell out of the NFL draft's first round Thursday amid concerns with his right knee, didn't have to wait as long Friday.
The Jacksonville Jaguars took Jack with the fifth pick of the second round (36th overall), trading up with the Baltimore Ravens to get the pick. The Ravens acquired the Jags' second- (38th overall) and fifth-round (146) picks.
Jack entered the draft after his junior season at UCLA and was considered a potential top-10 pick and one of the most athletic players in this year's class. But his name never was called by commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday -- he was one of a handful of big-name prospects remaining in the draft's green room in Chicago by night's end -- as teams were reportedly scared off due to concerns about the knee.
The 6-foot-1, 245-pounder suffered a season-ending torn lateral meniscus during Bruins practice in September. He wasn't cleared for physical activities until March, five days before UCLA's pro day, where Jack worked out publicly for the first time since the injury.
Then, on Wednesday, Jack told the New York Post that the injured knee might require microfracture surgery, noting that degenerative issues are there "but it's nothing extreme."
"Down the line, possibly, I could have microfracture surgery, potentially," he told the Post. "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."
However, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Dr. James Andrews, who examined Jack in December, told the linebacker on Friday that he does not need microfracture surgery.
Nevertheless, Jack opted to stay at his hotel and not attend Day 2 of the draft Friday. He did tweet a video of him dunking a basketball, likely an effort to show his knee is OK.
When healthy, Jack has sideline-to-sideline range and flashes explosive power. In addition, he is the top coverage linebacker in the class, according to ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Todd McShay.
