Jaylon Smith – NFL Career, Girlfriend & Height

There are many Smiths in the world of football and most of them are pretty talented. Jaylon Smith is definitely one of the more talented ones, which is why it is not surprising that the Dallas Cowboys saw his potential and selected him as their 34th overall pick in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. So Jaylon is now officially a professional football player, playing as the linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He has worked hard to get to the heights where he currently is at the moment and he continues to work hard to remain there. Find out more details about him below.

Who is Jaylon Smith and How Old is He?

Jaylon Smith was born on the 14th of June 1995. At Bishop Luers High School where he got his high school education, he played basketball and football as well as ran track. The kid proved more promising with football getting the Butkus Award which goes to the state’s best linebacker and also got the Mr. Football award for Indiana State. Although his talent as a footballer was evident, Jaylon stuck with basketball until his junior level. In track events, he continued to participate in such activities as relays and shot put up to his senior year. In the 2013 IHSAA T&F Sectional, he was able to place fourth in shot put.

On the 6th of February 2013, Jaylon Smith signed a letter of intent that committed him to play football at the University of Notre Dame. Both Rivals.com and Scouts.com considered him the best outside linebacker recruit of his class and he participated in the 2013 U.S Army All-American Bowl. He took over the starting linebacker position from Ben Councell after Dany Spond’s retirement. He then moved on to start all 13 games of the season recording a total of 67 tackles, three pass breakups, and one interception.

In 2014, Jaylon Smith was moved to an inside linebacker position and was soon named as the FBS Independent Co-Defensive Player of the Year as well as the Associated Press’ second-team All-American. In his junior year, he was awarded the Butkus Award but unfortunately suffered a knee injury in the first quarter of the game against Ohio State. Jaylon’s knee surgery was successful after which he announced on the 11th of January 2016 that he would forego the rest of his eligibility and enter the 2016 NFL draft.

NFL Career

The Dallas Cowboys surprised a lot of people when they picked Jaylon Smith in the second round of the draft pick as their 34th overall pick. They made a huge gamble that he would be able to come back strong from his knee injury, which was actually operated on by the team’s doctor.

On the 20th of May 2016, Smith signed a four-year rookie contract that was worth $6.49 million with a $2.9 million signing bonus. He, however, did not make an appearance in his rookie year because he was still recovering from the surgery. He made his debut in 2017 while using a drop foot as a brace. The footballer started as a middle linebacker in the Dallas Cowboy’s game against the New York Giants where he recorded 7 total tackles and a forced fumble in the game. In his second game against the Denver Broncos, he doubled his number of tackles from his first game.

The Dallas Cowboys played Jaylon Smith quite a lot in the coming games and he was exposed to passing situations that caused him to struggle in some of the games. By the last 10 games, the Cowboys were forced to use him as a backup and he finished the season with 81 tackles, which was actually one of the highest season totals by a rookie in franchise history. In 2018, Jaylon was finally able to retire the ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) and play without the aid.

Meet The Brother

Jay senior brother Rod Smith is also a football player with the Dallas Cowboys. He went to Harding High School and the school’s football team once clashed with that of Jaylon’s high school. Jaylon’s team won the game with a 14-8 scoreline. Rod Smith mostly stands in as Ezekiel Elliott’s back up in the Dallas Cowboys.

Girlfriend

The footballer has been in a long-term relationship with a woman named Nevada Jones who was a basketball player while she was a student at Indiana University, Kokomo. They come from the same hometown but did not go to any of the same schools while growing up. The two are supportive of each other and seem to be deeply in love. Nevada Jones is, however, a pretty private person, but Jay puts bits and pieces of their relationship on his social media pages. Perhaps, when they walk down the aisle, it won’t evade his social media page.

Height and Weight

Jaylon Smith stands at a height of 6 feet 2 inches or 1.88m and weighs 245 lbs or 111kg. His athleticism keeps him very fit and luckily with his knee healed completely he has a long athletic career ahead of him.