Feb. 25--Jaylon Smith's Twitter avatar is a silhouette of him running, a logo on the former Notre Dame linebacker's new line of shirts.
Before Smith does that again, he has to master walking.
Smith took the first steps toward that Wednesday, when he posted a video on Twitter and said he is walking without a brace for the first time in six weeks. The consensus All-American tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee during the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1 against Ohio State.
"Amazing walking without the knee brace six days after being restricted for six weeks and feels fantastic," Smith wrote.
Smith had surgery on the knee in Dallas in early January. He had been projected to be a top-five NFL draft pick before the injury. He's expected to attend the NFL combine in Indianapolis this week, though he won't participate in any drills.
How far his draft stock might have fallen remains to be seen, but many still project him to be picked in the first round, even though he's unlikely to play next season.
Smith reportedly has a $5 million loss-of-value insurance policy that would kick in should he not be picked in the first round.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said earlier this month that Smith's rehab was running ahead of schedule.
"He feels like he's a couple of weeks ahead of it from where they were expecting him to be," Kelly said. "He expects to be at the combine, not testing, but to be open for interviews."
Smith started all 39 games he played for the Irish and led the team in tackles the last two seasons.
pskrbina@tribpub.com
