Bruins coach Jim Mora wished Jack well but expressed a few concerns over the decision. Watch Myles Jack against UNLV earlier during the 2015 season prior to his knee injury. He was a starting linebacker and a frequent running back for the Bruins during his first two seasons.
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In a move that is drawing mixed reaction, UCLA stud-linebacker Myles Jack has declared for the National Football League draft. He was the Pac-12’s Offensive and Defensive Freshman of the Year, and his encore as a sophomore, though he saw time at running back less frequently, was equally impressive. “And so like I said, I hope it works out best for him”. As I told Myles on Sunday, National Football League teams are very, very conservative.
“He’s taking his chips and he’s shoving them into the middle”, Mora told reporters after practice with the 20th-ranked Bruins, who have a bye this week.
NFLDraftScout.com’s Dane Brugler said “Jack is the total package as a linebacker with the athleticism, strength and instincts to play the game at a high level”. His status as a first-rounder may come down to how his recovery process goes, but for a player widely regarded to be one of the top linebacker prospects available next spring, there would be little sense in returning to school for another year and risking further injury. Never. I worry about that for him.
“I’ve been in 25 draft rooms, and I’ve never seen a guy taken off of that”, Mora said. According to Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller, Jack has a million insurance policy on himself that kicks in if he’s not picked in the first round.
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Jack hurt his knee in practice just days after UCLA pulled off a comeback win over BYU on September 20, ESPN noted, a game in which he intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter to seal. While there was plenty of speculation about his future at that time, common sense said that he was done at U.C.L.A., and Mora’s announcement confirmed that today. The Minnesota Vikings took Anthony Barr at No. 9 overall in 2014, despite only two years of film by which to evaluate him.
