Each year thousands of players wait for the phone call that only a couple hundred receive.  With the 2016 NFL Draft upon us, Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith was among those chosen few. The Dallas Cowboys-selected Smith with the No. 34 overall pick in the second-round of the draft.  It was something that many didn't think would happen, and Smith broke down as he received the call from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

Smith won the 2015 Butkus Award as the nations top linebacker, but on New Year's Day, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL) in the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State. Many believe Smith will miss the entire 2016 season, especially with the uncertainty of how long it will take for the nerve to recover.

"There's no recovery time because this is a process where we're relying on God to do his work," Smith said according to NFL.com. "We have to be patient and you know the nerve can come back tomorrow. It's just a timing thing. Whenever it wants to come back, it'll come back."

Jones however felt Smith's upside was worth the risk.

"This isn't risk-free. When we've got a player that we think can be a cornerstone defensive player ... to get a player like that not be able to live with the nerve firing, that's a risk ... that you don't even know about. It's certainly within our tolerance level of risk-taking," said Jones, according to SportsDay.

The Cowboys and Smith already shared a connection prior to him joining the team. Not only is Smith's brother Rod a running back for the Cowboys, the team physician, Dr. Daniel Cooper, performed Smith's surgery. Cooper remains upbeat in Smith’s ability to return.

"I get different sensations everyday with the nerve, but it's just a timing thing," Smith said. "I'm only three and a half 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. It's too early in the process to tell."

When asked Friday if there is any chance he could play in 2016, he sounded very optimistic.

"Absolutely," Smith said. "Never doubt God.

Source: instagram.com