1. Jaylon Smith was born on June 14,1995 and is an American professional football linebacker.
54 Facts About Jaylon Smith
1. 2.
Jaylon Smith played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was selected 34th overall by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft.
3.
Jaylon Smith finished with 1,265 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on 176 attempts as senior in 2012 to go with 10 receptions for 66 yards and two more touchdowns.
4.
Jaylon Smith signed his letter of intent on February 6,2013, and committed to attend and play football at the University of Notre Dame.
5.
Jaylon Smith was considered the best outside linebacker recruit of his class by Rivals.
6.
Jaylon Smith played in the 2013 US Army All-American Bowl.
7.
In 2013, Jaylon Smith won the starting DOG linebacker position beating out Ben Councell, after incumbent starter Danny Spond had to retire due to migraine issues.
8.
Jaylon Smith notched his first career interception against USC on a pass thrown by Cody Kessler.
9.
Jaylon Smith was one of three players to start all 13 games on defense, recording 112 tackles, including nine for loss, and 3.5 sacks, adding two pass breakups and one forced fumble.
10.
Jaylon Smith was named the FBS Independent Co-Defensive Player of the Year, along with teammate Joe Schmidt IV and was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press.
11.
Jaylon Smith won the Butkus Award, given annually to college football's top linebacker.
12.
Jaylon Smith underwent successful knee surgery on both ligaments on January 7,2016.
13.
On January 11,2016, Jaylon Smith announced he would forego his remaining eligibility and enter the 2016 NFL draft.
14.
On January 11,2016, Jaylon Smith released a statement through Twitter announcing his decision to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2016 NFL Draft.
15.
Jaylon Smith attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in order to meet with teams, but was unable to participate in workouts due to his injury.
16.
Jaylon Smith received tests to objectively measure his nerve function.
17.
Jaylon Smith attended a pre-draft visit with the San Francisco 49ers.
18.
Jaylon Smith was ranked the 10th best outside linebacker prospect in the draft by DraftScout.
19.
Jaylon Smith was operated on by the Dallas Cowboys' doctor, Dan Cooper.
20.
On June 7,2017, Jaylon Smith participated in drills for the first time in front of media since his torn ACL and MCL.
21.
On July 20,2017, the Dallas Cowboys signed linebacker Justin Durant as insurance in the event Jaylon Smith was unable to fully recover before the start of the regular season.
22.
Jaylon Smith was expected to experience full nerve regeneration within the next six to nine months after suffering nerve damage as a result of his injury.
23.
On July 26,2017, Jaylon Smith took part in practice in full pads for the first time since college, but received limited reps as the coaching staff was cautious as he became acclimated to playing in full pads.
24.
Head coach Jason Garrett named Jaylon Smith the starting middle linebacker to begin the regular season, alongside outside linebackers Sean Lee and Damien Wilson.
25.
Jaylon Smith remained as the starting middle linebacker in Weeks 4 and 5 after Anthony Hitchens was moved to outside linebacker to fill in for an injured Sean Lee.
26.
In Week 7, Jaylon Smith was demoted to backup middle linebacker after Anthony Hitchens returned from injury.
27.
Jaylon Smith finished his 2nd NFL season in 2017 with 81 combined tackles, two pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and one sack in 16 games and six starts.
28.
Jaylon Smith entered training camp slated as the starting middle linebacker after Anthony Hitchens departed for the Kansas City Chiefs during free agency.
29.
Head coach Jason Garrett named Jaylon Smith the starting middle linebacker to start the regular season, ahead of rookie first round pick Leighton Vander Esch.
30.
Jaylon Smith began the season alongside outside linebackers Sean Lee and Damien Wilson.
31.
Jaylon Smith was ranked 61st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.
32.
Jaylon Smith was elected as a first time team captain for the 2019 Dallas Cowboys season.
33.
Jaylon Smith was ranked 88th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.
34.
Jaylon Smith received criticism from the media during the season because of his level of play and the defense's struggles.
35.
Jaylon Smith finished with 145 total tackles 1.5 sacks, one interception, and five passes defended.
36.
Jaylon Smith announced his decision to change his number from 54 to 9 from his college days, despite public backlash from some of the fan base, saying that the number belonged to former quarterback Tony Romo.
37.
Jaylon Smith appeared in 4 games with 2 starts during the season.
38.
Jaylon Smith finished his Cowboys career with 68 games, 516 tackles, 9 sacks, 2 interceptions, 6 forced fumbles and 5 fumble recoveries.
39.
On October 7,2021, Jaylon Smith signed with the Green Bay Packers.
40.
Jaylon Smith appeared in two games, collecting one tackle in 27 defensive snaps.
41.
On December 17,2021, Jaylon Smith signed with the practice squad of the New York Giants.
42.
Jaylon Smith reunited with offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who was his head coach with the Dallas Cowboys.
43.
On December 18,2021, Jaylon Smith was activated from the practice squad as a COVID-19 replacement, for the game against his former team the Dallas Cowboys.
44.
On December 20,2021, Jaylon Smith was promoted to the active roster.
45.
Jaylon Smith appeared in four games with two starts, making 19 tackles, one sack and one pass defensed.
46.
On September 20,2022, Jaylon Smith was re-signed by the New York Giants to their practice squad.
47.
Jaylon Smith seized the middle linebacker role over Tae Crowder, in the eighth game against the Seattle Seahawks.
48.
Jaylon Smith appeared in 13 games with 11 starts, tallying 74 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery, while leading the linebackers with 724 defensive snaps.
49.
Jaylon Smith was released on August 29,2023, and re-signed to the practice squad.
50.
On November 2,2023, Jaylon Smith was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders off the Saints practice squad.
51.
Jaylon Smith appeared in one game against the New York Giants, making 2 tackles in 25 defensive snaps.
52.
On December 27,2023, Jaylon Smith was signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad.
53.
Jaylon Smith's contract expired at the end of the season and was not re-signed.
54.
Jaylon Smith has an older brother, Rod who has played for five NFL teams.