Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith will play in his first career playoff game on Saturday, as the Cowboys host the Seattle Seahawks in the Wildcard Round of the NFC Playoffs.
Smith has become one of the brightest young linebackers in the game over the course of the 2018 season, pairing with Leighton Vander Esch to form perhaps the best young linebacking duo in the league. But Smith's path to stardom in his third year as a pro has been fraught with turmoil, as his NFL Draft stock tumbled after gruesome knee injury.
Three years removed from that fateful bowl game blowout of his left knee, Jaylon is back to the player he expected to be as a pro -- and leading the Cowboys into the postseason.
In the video above, listen as Jaylon describes his road back, and the silver lining to his injury -- a 2016 Cowboys draft class that figures to be the bedrock for this organization for years to come.