Jaylon Smith lost more than the Fiesta Bowl on Friday, his left knee imploded worse than Notre Dame.

It just shouldn’t be enough to keep him from the 2016 NFL Draft.

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Smith -- who won the 2015 Butkus Award as college football’s top LB -- was carted into the locker room early in the game and returned on crutches. Head coach Brian Kelly didn’t leave much to the imagination.

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The images painted that exact picture.

Smith was poised to leave Notre Dame and enter the NFL draft as an underclassmen, much like his teammate Ronnie Stanley. Friday’s injury would keep most players from doing so, but there was always a contingency plan.

A Butkus Award winner, it’s not as if Smith would significantly slip in the draft. Todd Gurley was suspended for alleged violation of NCAA rules and tore his ACL his Junior year … he was still drafted 10th overall by the Rams in 2015.

Smith would be wise to follow the same path.

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