UCLA Myles Jack Withdraws to Prepare for 2016 NFL Draft

Myles Jack, a linebacker from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), has withdrawn in order to prepare for the 2016 NFL draft, Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated reported first via Twitter.

UCLA head coach Jim Mora commented that even though Jack is a very talented player, his decision to leave school early is very risky.

"I think it's very risky to do this. There's a lot of speculation to...where he fits," Mora explained, via Thamel. "I've been in 25 Draft rooms. I've never seen a guy taken off (two games of junior tape)... Myles' talent is without question. I hope he's put enough out there where they can get a true evaluation."

Josh Norris of Rotoworld, who is an NFL Draft analyst, disagreed with Mora. He tweeted, "I'm not sure why Mora is saying there's not enough tape. There is, and Jack has looked special since he joined UCLA."

Mora later said, via Thamel again, that he thinks Jack can become a great NFL player but was concerned over how NFL teams will assess his knee injury.

Jack sustained a season-ending knee injury during practice two weeks ago. Mora added, according to ESPN, that Jack will be focused on rehabilitating his knee.

"He's taking his chips and shoving them into the middle, and we hope he draws a good hand," Mora said. "He doesn't see any point in staying in school. He's going to go and get some personal training and rehab."

Mora added, "My personal opinion is he's a tremendous football player and a tremendous athlete...And as I told Myles on Sunday, NFL teams are very, very conservative, and if there's any question whatsoever, they'll pass on you in heartbeat. They're going to take the sure thing and I explained that to him, but I feel like they already made their decision and so, like I said, I hope it works out the best for him. But I, as a guy that spent half of my life in the NFL, I would move with great caution and I would tell that to all of our players."

Throughout his career, Jack has totaled 178 tackles and 15 tackles for a loss. He has made four interceptions. Although Jack is a linebacker, the coaching staff occasionally used him as a situational running back in 2013 when he rushed for seven touchdowns on 38 carries for 267 yards. He has also played the safety and cornerback positions.

Jack was the Pac-12 Defensive and Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2013. He was also a two-time second team All-Pac 12 selection.