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10 Underrated NFL players under 25 years old in 2019

By Russell S. Baxter

ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 05: Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates a fumble recovery in the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans at AT&T Stadium on November 5, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 05: Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates a fumble recovery in the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans at AT&T Stadium on November 5, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – OCTOBER 14: Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – OCTOBER 14: Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

7. OLB Jaylon Smith, Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys gambled three years ago when they opted to use a second-round selection on talented linebacker Jaylon Smith. The former Notre Dame star suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his team’s clash with the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl. Not only was his next football season in doubt (Smith would sit out all of 2016), his playing future was certainly a topic of discussion.

But the one-time Golden Domer indeed took the field in 2017 and made his presence felt. He would play in all 16 games and made six starts, finishing third on the club with 81 stops — to go along with one sack, two passes defensed and a pair of forced fumbles.

This past season, he was even better on a Cowboys’ defense that finished seventh overall in terms of fewest total yards allowed per game. Smith started all 16 contests and racked up 121 tackles (second on the team behind 2018 first-round pick Leighton Vander Esch). The 23-year-old pro also amassed four sacks, four passes defensed, two more forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries (1 returned for a touchdown) for the NFC East champions. All told, he’s the No. 6 linebacker in the league according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

This season, the plan is to have veteran Sean Lee join Vander Esch on the outside flanking Smith. Could this be the best overall linebacking corps in the league?

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