Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith Expected To Miss “At Least” The 2016 Season

Update:

Ian Rapoport reports that Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith (knee, ankle) had a $5 million loss of value insurance policy.

• Rapoport adds that if Smith paid the premiums, he would receive this sum of money tax-free.
• Albert Breer mentions that a comparison for the kinda of nerve damage Smith sustained is the injury sustained by former South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore.

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Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that NFL teams expect Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith to miss “at least” the entire 2016 season, due to the serious knee injury he sustained last year.

According to Rapoport, Smith’s medical evaluations showed ankle, knee and nerve issues.

FOX Sports Alex Marvez reports that Smith was wearing a knee brace for roughly seven weeks after undergoing surgery, but the expectation is that he will need more time to fully recovery.

“He looks good,” Marvez’s source said. “He just needs more time.”

Marvez adds that Smith’s left knee injury could greatly damage his draft stock after he was expected to be a first-round pick.

A source tells Marvez that two doctors with knowledge of the situation have differing opinions about Smith’s odds at making a full recovery. One doctor was optimistic about Smith while the other gave him just a 10 percent chance of a full recovery.

Over the course of his three-year career at Notre Dame, Smith recorded 284 tackles, 23.5 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three recoveries and 10 pass defenses for the Fighting Irish over the course of three years.