Atlanta Falcons: To draft, not to draft prospects with red flags

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Sep 5, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Jaylon Smith (9) signals in the first quarter against the Texas Longhorns at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 38-3. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

LB Jaylon Smith, Notre Dame

It’s hard not to be heartbroken for Jaylon Smith, who was poised to be one of the first names off the board in this week’s draft before tearing his ACL and LCL in January’s Fiesta Bowl. Smith had proven himself to be durable but happened to get hurt by a freak injury in his final college game.

With concerning nerve damage, Smith might never play in the NFL, at least to the high level he would be expected to. A surefire top-10 draft choice could now drop to the later rounds until a team is willing to take a risk on him. The odds of him playing in 2016 are low, and the future beyond that is cloudy at best.

Everyone is pulling for him to make a full recovery and become the dominant linebacker he could have been, but with just five picks in this year’s draft it’s hard to justify the Falcons taking the risk themselves.

A healthy Smith would be perfect for Atlanta — or any team for that matter — but the Falcons don’t have the ammunition, or freedom to take a chance. Teams like Seattle and Green Bay are loaded with talent and have enough picks to take a flier in the mid-rounds.

Next: Reasons for and against drafting first-round targets

For the Falcons, the 50/50 risk is too much to take.

To draft or not to draft: Not to draft