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With the No. 34 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith. 

Pete Prisco gave the Cowboys a C-minus grade:

The Cowboys apparently almost traded the pick to the Bears but the deal fell apart and they took Smith instead.

Smith was one of the best players in college football and was arguably considered the top prospect in the draft until he tore his ACL and LCL during Notre Dame's Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State. He had surgery to repair the injury in January and is extremely unlikely to play at all in the 2016 season. The surgery was actually performed by the Cowboys' team doctor, so it's possible they have more information about the health of Smith's knee than any other team.

A few weeks after surgery, Smith posted video of himself walking without a knee brace in the weight room:

While Smith obviously put that video on Twitter with the hopes of quelling fears surrounding his health, that's not exactly how it went down. Dr. David Chao, the former team physician for the Chargers, noticed Smith wearing an AFO (ankle foot orthotic) on the injured leg, which usually indicates nerve damage.

Since he's likely to sit the entire season, it's no surprise Smith dropped out of the first round. In fact, it's more surprising that he made it to the top of the second. (Because he fell out of the first by three picks, he'll now collect $900,000 tax-free.)

If Smith returns to anything resembling full health, the Cowboys will have a heck of a player on their hands. He is a true sideline-to-sideline force. Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly stated that Smith is the best player he ever coached. He was a consensus All-American in 2015, totaling 115 tackles (nine for loss), a sack, five passes defensed, and two fumble recoveries. That came after a sophomore season in which he racked up 111 tackles (nine for loss), 3.5 sacks, and two passes defensed. He was an absolute monster.

Smith himself wrote at Bleacher Report before the draft that he still considers himself the best player in the draft, despite his injury:

Basically, I want everyone to know I'm OK. This injury is a minor setback that comes before a major comeback. I will be 100 percent again. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

I'm the best player in the draft. I just didn't get the opportunity to show it as far as the combine and draft process. Watch the film. Any game. It speaks for itself.

He would fit perfectly in the middle of Rod Marinelli's defense and would instantly upgrade their performance against the run and the pass ... if he gets healthy. This is an extremely high-risk, high-reward pick, especially when you consider how many needs the Cowboys have elsewhere on their defense (pass rusher, defensive back) that they need to address later in the draft. Picking a player like Smith here is the kind of thing you can do as a GM if you know the owner's not going to fire you, which is obviously the case in Dallas, where Jerry Jones is the owner and the GM.

Here’s what Rob Rang and Dane Brugler wrote about Smith in their scouting report on CBSSports.com:

In today's ultra-specialized NFL, defenses routinely substitute powerful linebackers on running downs and faster, more agile defenders on obvious passing plays. Teams won't have to swap Smith out, however. He started all 39 games the past three seasons, but in a cruel twist of fate, Smith suffered a serious knee injury in the Fiesta Bowl, putting his draft stock in limbo based on his rehab.

Before the knee injury this was a no-brainer. Now, some team must want Smith enough to spend a pick and roll the dice. He cannot realistically be in the plans to play in 2016. If he overcomes the injury, the upside is tremendous -- in the All-Pro neighborhood.

Smith goes to a team with a doctor he's familiar with.
Smith goes to a team with a doctor he's familiar with. (NFLN)