Dallas Cowboys: Jaylon Smith delivers nice hit on first NFL tackle (Video)

Dallas Cowboys 2016 second-round draft pick Jaylon Smith made his NFL debut in the preseason on Saturday and made a third-down stop for his first tackle.

Prior to Saturday night, it had been well over 500 days since Jaylon Smith had touched a football field outside of workouts and practice. However, the 2016 second-round pick for the Dallas Cowboys changed that. He not only played on Saturday in preseason action against the Indianapolis Colts, but he started with the first-team defense.

On Smith’s first possession on the field, the ball truly never came near enough to him for the linebacker to be able to make a play. The Cowboys forced a three-and-out and Smith went off the field having played all three snaps. It was his second possession on defense where he made an impact.

After getting the Colts to third-and-long, Smith showed blitz at the line, but then dropped back into coverage. It was a loose zone, and Indy quarterback Scott Tolzien looked for tight end Jack Doyle on a short throw. He found him, but Smith made a quick read and came up to deliver a strong hit to stop him well short of the first-down marker and notch his first NFL tackle:

Smith showed the same things that he did at Notre Dame when plays were run his way. As you’d expect, there were moments where he was rusty. One particular example was an over-pursuit on a run-play — but he shot the proper gap and seemed to just be a little too amped and not have the timing down.

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When the Cowboys took Smith in the second round in 2016, it was a gamble as they knew he wouldn’t play last year. But he’s been progressing in terms of health all offseason. And now it’s all coming together for him. If he can take plays like his first tackle and keep growing, he has the chance to still become a special player in this league.