Column: Myles Jack no longer is day-to-day after Jaguars take him in second round of NFL draft

Myles Jack waited forever and a day to be selected in the NFL draft.

Forever was the excruciating pick-by-pick tumble through the first round. The extra day was Friday, when Jack opted not to attend the event but mercifully didn’t have to watch too long to hear his name called.

The former UCLA linebacker, whose surgically repaired knee left doubt in the minds of potential employers, was taken by Jacksonville with the fifth pick of the second round.

“It’s been long, a little bit embarrassing, but it’s definitely exciting,” said Jack, who did not attend the second night of the draft at Auditorium Theatre.

Jack, a standout linebacker and occasional running back, opted not to return to UCLA after suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee during a practice in October. At the time, he was considered among the premier prospects in this class, a good bet to be a top-five pick.

Reports surfaced that Jack had additional cartilage damage in the knee that likely predated the injury, and might require microfracture surgery down the road, which Jack conceded this week. He also has insisted his knee won’t be a concern, and Friday posted a video clip on Twitter of him throwing down a two-handed dunk.

The Jaguars, who recently had Jack work out for them at UCLA, traded a fifth-round pick to move up two spots and get him.

“Bottom line is I’m ready to go,” Jack said. “I’ll be there rookie mini-camp, I’m 100% healthy, I’m cleared. The knee shouldn’t be a concern anymore, I definitely proved that with my play, but there’s nothing else to talk about, I’m ready to play ball.”

UCLA Coach Jim Mora, who along with several other top college coaches attended the first round as guests of the NFL, said Jacksonville got “the steal of the draft” in Jack.

“He’s one of the top three athletes I’ve ever worked with, the other two being Michael Vick and Julius Peppers,” Mora said. “He’s in that category. I believe he could be an All-Pro running back, an All-Pro safety or an All-Pro linebacker. When you look at the things we did with him, it confirms that.”

Jack might have been a focal point Friday, but he wasn’t the only standout from a Los Angeles university to be selected. Three USC players were chosen: safety/outside linebacker Su’a Cravens went to Washington with the 53rd overall pick in the second round; center Max Tuerk was taken by San Diego in the third with the 66th overall pick, and quarterback Cody Kessler was taken by Cleveland in the third with the 93rd pick.

On Friday, UCLA defensive tackle Kenny Clark went 27th to Green Bay.

“Kenny’s a guy who’s not going to say much, but he’s going to do a lot,” Mora said.

Kessler was the third of three quarterbacks selected Friday, with Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg going to the New York Jets in the second round and North Carolina State’s Jacoby Brissett taken by New England in the third.

The draft concludes with rounds 4-7 Saturday.

Two spots before the Jaguars took Jack, the Dallas Cowboys rolled the dice on another damaged defensive star. They selected Notre Dame’s Jaylon Smith, the 2015 Butkus Award winner as the nation’s top linebacker, who suffered a devastating knee injury in a bowl game against Ohio State.

Smith, who suffered torn anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments, said that despite reports to the contrary, he “absolutely” believes he’ll be ready to play in 2016.

“I get different sensations every day with the nerve, but it’s just a timing thing,” Smith told reporters. “I’m only 31/2 months out, so time will definitely tell, but the knee is fine. That was cleared at the medical recheck that the knee won’t have any issues. But it’s just a timing thing for the nerve.”

Perhaps the most inspiring story of the night was Cleveland’s drafting Auburn tackle Shon Coleman in the third round. Six years ago, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia as an 18-year-old high school senior.

Coleman, whose cancer has been in remission for more than five years, attended the draft two years ago and was invited to announce the pick for the then-St. Louis Rams when they selected defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

Follow Sam Farmer on Twitter: @LATimesfarmer