UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, a likely future first-round draft pick, has suffered a season-ending injury.
Jack suffered a “significant knee injury” in practice yesterday, and UCLA coach Jim Mora confirmed today that he won’t play again this year.
Now the question is whether Jack will play college football again at all. A junior, Jack could choose to return to UCLA next year, but he also may decide to enter the 2016 NFL draft. Jack is certainly ready to play in the NFL and might have been a first-round pick this year if not for the NFL’s rule requiring players to be out of high school at least three years before turning pro.
Jack, who sealed UCLA’s win over BYU on Saturday with an interception in the final minute, is a great athlete and physical tackler. He has also played some running back at UCLA, gaining 387 rushing yards in his college career, although he has always primarily been a linebacker, and that’s the position he projects to play in the NFL.