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On Thursday, a big domino fell at the top of the draft, with the Los Angeles Rams moving into the top slot from 15th overall, swapping a small fortune with the Tennessee Titans which could only mean they are targeting a quarterback. This was a big deal for the Ravens, picking at sixth overall in a draft where there are five top non-quarterbacks and the quarterbacks did not look like locks for the top slots. The trade cemented the likelihood of one of the top position players being on the board for the Ravens, moving it from possible to definite. It placed Baltimore in the envious position of having at least one of Laremy Tunsil, Joey Bosa, DeForest Buckner, Jalen Ramsey, and Myles Jack on the board for their pick, with a strong possibility of having their choice of 2 of those players if the remaining quarterback of the Jared Goff-Carson Wentz tandem comes of the board before their pick, to either the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, or a mystery trade-up team.
This change overshadowed the other, negative development which occured on Thursday but was not really reported until the weekend: Myles Jack's medical recheck. Jack was among many players who was scheduled for a medical recheck this past Thursday, having missed most of the 2016 season with a knee injury. While some teams were fortunate to get an in-depth look at Jack's condition during his team visit, most of them had to wait until then to evaluate his recovery and the long term implications.
So while Jack seemed to think the recheck went swimmingly, several teams expressed grave concerns about the long term outlook for Jack following his knee surgery.
NFL source calls Myles Jack "a time bomb" whose knee could give him several good years, or not. Bone and cartilage starting to break away.
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) April 18, 2016
The source compared Myles Jack's knee situation Jonathan Vilma. Vilma made the Pro Bowl twice, won Super Bowl, but only had 6-7 healthy yrs.
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) April 18, 2016
However, not all teams agree with this assessment, and all it takes is one who believes in his abilities:
#UCLA LB Myles Jack's medical recheck is over. "Differing opinions." Some teams thought the healing wasn't fast enough. Others are OK it.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 15, 2016
The teams that believe in Myles Jack (torn meniscus) likely won't be deterred by today's medicals. Others view his knee as a potential issue
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 15, 2016
With Jack considered an elite talent in this draft, and the only major concern being health, this would be a blow to his stock if it is the consensus. Will this push his stock out of the top 5 and possibly further?
One thing to consider when evaluating the situation, is the primary (only?) source for the concerns. Les Bowen, a sportswriter for the Philadelphia Daily News, is the source for the "time bomb" quote. Others have reported on the concerns, but I have yet to see anyone besides Bowen quote their own source on the matter. Could this be a deliberate play by the Eagles to cause Jack to fall to them at 8, or at least close enough for them to trade up? At this time of year, with all the gamesmanship and misinformation, it would not shock me in the least. Good thing we will not have to wait too long to know the results!