After doing pretty much everything for UCLA in college, Myles Jack is probably going to stick to the linebacker position when he becomes an NFL player. It’s still early in his visiting and interviews process, but at the moment the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Diego Chargers are showing the most interest.
Jack played both as outside and inside linebacker in college, but also running back and safety. His speed, coverage ability, strength and explosiveness make him one of the more unique talents heading into the NFL draft, and not even the torn anterior meniscus that made him miss most of last season is keeping him from being projected to be one of the first 10 players taken off the board. While Jack might have interesting ideas about his NFL positions, teams will ask him to stick with one, and probably linebacker.
And why not? Although he doesn’t have the ideal length at linebacker, his ability and will (just as important) to chase down everything and everyone along with fantastic coverage abilities (four interceptions in three seasons with UCLA) should be enough to cover for it. He’s going to need to learn how to tone it down sometimes and maybe stay in one place in the pros, but unless something comes up in a medical check regarding his recovery from the injury, it’s hard to see Jack not going early in the draft and becoming useful or much more in the NFL.
Whether or not anyone wants to see him play safety in the NFL, he has already said he’d love to replace Eric Weddle on the Chargers. The Jaguars see him as a linebacker, not something else. But like other defensive players with more than the usual talents, he can be used to do something else. He scored 7 rushing touchdowns for UCLA in 2013, his freshman year. Surely there can be some use to Jack besides putting him at linebacker with the right creativity from the coaching staff.