Myles Jack: From UCLA Bruin to NFL Linebacker

Myles David Jack, born on September 3, 1995, is an American former professional football player who distinguished himself as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). His college football career at UCLA was marked by exceptional versatility and accolades, setting the stage for his professional journey.

Early Life and High School Career

Born in Scottsdale, Arizona, to La Sonjia and H. David Jack, Myles Jack quickly emerged as a promising football talent. As a four-star recruit, he was ranked as the No. 16 outside linebacker in the nation in 2013 by Rivals.com, signaling his potential for collegiate success.

Collegiate Career at UCLA

Jack's impact on the UCLA Bruins was immediate and profound. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins and was named the top freshman player in the Pac-12, receiving honors both on defense as well as on offense for his work as a running back and was named an All-Pac-12 linebacker twice. He started 12 of 13 games in 2013 and tallied 75 tackles, second-most by a true freshman in UCLA history.

Two-Way Star

Myles Jack quickly gained recognition as a two-way player, excelling both as a linebacker and a running back. In 2013, he earned both the Offensive and Defensive Freshman of the Year awards and was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award as the nation's most versatile player. Jack played a stint at running back as a freshman, contributing seven rushing touchdowns.

Freshman Sensation (2013)

Jack made an immediate impact on UCLA's football program. He started 12 of 13 games in 2013 and tallied 75 tackles, second-most by a true freshman in UCLA history. Jack made two interceptions in 2013, returning one for a touchdown in the Sun Bowl.

Continued Success (2014)

During the 2014 season, Jack recorded 88 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss and seven passes defensed.

Injury and Departure (2015)

On September 22, 2015, during a routine practice, Jack tore the meniscus in his knee while performing a non-contact drill. A statement was released from coaches stating that he would not return for the remainder of the season. On October 6, head coach Jim Mora announced that Jack had withdrawn from UCLA to focus on his rehabilitation and entering the 2016 NFL draft. His injury had occurred two days before the start of the fall quarter, and he had already fallen behind in his classes while rehabbing from his knee and coping with his short-term immobility. Jack started the first three games for UCLA before suffering a knee injury in practice. Shortly after, he left the team to begin rehab.

UCLA Career Statistics

Over three seasons at UCLA, Jack started 28 of 29 games. He recorded 178 tackles, four interceptions, 15.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack and 19 passes broken up.

NFL Draft Preparation

Jack was one of 39 linebackers to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was limited to the bench press due to his knee and finished tied for 13th in the bench press among all participating linebackers. On March 10, 2016, Jack attended UCLA's pro day and performed the vertical jump, broad jump, and positional drills. His vertical jump would have finished eighth among all linebackers at the combine and his broad jump would have finished fourth.

NFL Career

Jacksonville Jaguars (2016-2021)

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Jack in the second round with the 36th overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft.

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2016 Season

He made his professional regular season debut in the Jaguars' season-opening 27-23 loss to the Green Bay Packers. The following week, Jack recorded his first solo tackle on Chargers' running back Melvin Gordon after Gordon caught an 11-yard pass by Philip Rivers. After tackling Gordon again on the following play, Jack finished the Jaguars' 38-14 loss at the San Diego Chargers with two solo tackles. On October 2, 2016, Jack earned his first career start at strongside linebacker after Dan Skuta was unable to play after suffering a hip injury the previous week. He finished the 30-27 victory over the Indianapolis Colts with four combined tackles and a pass deflection. In Week 12, Jack recorded a season-high five combined tackles and recorded his first career sack with teammate Tyson Alualu on quarterback Tyrod Taylor during the Jaguars' 28-21 loss to the Bills. Head coach Gus Bradley was fired after their Week 15 loss to the Houston Texans due a nine-game losing streak and a 2-12 record. Assistant head coach/offensive line coach Doug Marrone was named interim head coach for the last two games of the season.

2017 Season

He started the Jaguars' season-opener at the Texans and recorded a season-high 14 combined tackles (eight solo) during their 29-7 victory. The following game, Jack made six combined tackles and had his first career solo sack on Titans' quarterback Marcus Mariota in the Jaguars' 37-16 loss to the Tennessee Titans. In Week 7, he collected eight combined tackles, broke up a pass, and sacked Jacoby Brissett as the Jaguars' routed the Colts 27-0. The Jaguars finished first in the American Football Conference (AFC) South with a 10-6 record in their first season under head coach Doug Marrone.

2018 Season

On January 7, 2018, Jack started his first career playoff game and recorded six combined tackles, two pass deflections, and a sack in a 10-3 victory over the Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round. The following week, he made six combined tackles, deflected a pass, and an interception during a 45-42 win at the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Divisional Round. On January 21, 2018, he collected seven combined tackles during the Jaguars' 24-20 loss at the Patriots in the AFC Championship. He was a part of a controversial play in the fourth quarter that occurred after he forced a fumble by Patriots' running back Dion Lewis and recovered it.

2021 Season

In the 2021 season, Jack appeared in and started 15 games. Although he led the Jaguars with 108 tackles (62 solo) over 15 games in 2021, he failed to record a sack and has just four sacks over the last four seasons.

Pittsburgh Steelers (2022, 2023)

On March 17, 2022, Jack signed a two-year contract with the Steelers. In the 2022 season, Jack appeared in 15 games and started in 13. On November 20, 2023, it was announced that Jack was coming out of retirement with the Steelers signing him to their practice squad the same day. On December 22, Jack was elevated to the active roster. He played in his first game on the following day against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Analysis of Jack's Performance

After five seasons it might be safe to say that Jack is more athletic than specifically skilled as a linebacker because he hasn't been able to turn that athleticism into above-average playmaking production. He has just six sacks in his last four seasons, and only three interceptions in that span. The good news is that his tackle rate has picked up the last two years, and if he maintains that he should be a useful IDP for that reason alone. Jack worked at inside linebacker last season and had the worst production of his career with 66 total tackles, a half-sack and one interception in 11 games. He'll move back to outside linebacker in 2020 following the signing of Joe Schobert. The abrupt hiatus taken by Telvin Smith leaves the Jaguars defense with a mammoth tackle void, as Smith led the team with 134 in 2018. Jack has yet to really break out as a tackle threat, only barely hitting triple-digits despite playing over 1,000 snaps last year, while in 2017 he fell well short (90 tackles on 1,018 snaps). Even if it's not in Jack's nature to specifically pad his tackle count, he almost has to by default now that Smith isn't there stealing so many stops. He doesn't have the instincts of teammate and fellow standout IDP Telvin Smith, but Jack is an even better athlete, and the retirement of Paul Posluszny opens up a breakout scenario for Jack this year. Still not 23 until September, Jack already has two NFL seasons to his credit, and with the tackle fiend Posluszny out of the picture, Jack should see his rate significantly increase after posting just 90 last year on 1,018 snaps. The Jaguars brought Jack along slowly last season, carefully monitoring his snap count as he worked back from a serious knee injury. While Jack was unable to participate in OTAs, he should have no trouble working his way into an impact role as an outside linebacker in Year 1.

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