Dallas Cowboys: Jaylon Smith will continue to prove people wrong

The return of Dallas Cowboys‘ Jaylon Smith has been one of the best storylines over the past few seasons, but his best is yet to come.

Everyone knows the story. The Dallas Cowboys‘ middle linebacker, Jaylon Smith, was picked early in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Once a player bound to be selected in the top five, Smith fell out of the first round into the arms of America’s Team because of a gruesome knee injury in college.

Nobody thought that Smith would every play, let alone start, let alone be one of the most feared linebackers in the league. It took some time, but Smith’s “clear eye view” mindset propelled him to overcome many physical and mental obstacles.

Smith played his first full season in 2017 where he recorded 81 total tackles. However, the young linebacker was not the same Smith from Notre Dame. On several occasions, his head would be telling him one thing and his legs could not keep up.

At the point of attack, he would play rather conservative, not an ideal habit for a middle linebacker. He could not get off blocks. But this whole time, it was clear that Smith had potential– the question was whether his health would ever allow him to reach it.

In 2018, Smith played like a totally different player. Rookie linebacker, Leighton Vander Esch, certainly caught some eyes and for good reason. But, Smith showed a knack for making impact plays when the defense needed it most.