While University of Virginia linebacker Jordan Mack is practicing self-distancing and shelter-in-place, he’s hoping to hear his named called during the NFL draft, which runs Thursday through Saturday.
Mack , who is from Lithonia and played at Wesleyan, played in 47 games and made 43 starts for the Cavaliers. Most thought he’d follow his father’s footsteps and play at Georgia Tech. His father Charles played at Georgia Tech from 1983 to 1987.
“I’m still in Charlottesville, Virginia,” Mack said. “I wake up, eat some breakfast, go workout, be creative anywhere and anyway that I can. And then I just pretty much chill for the rest of the day and self-quarantine.”
Mack, who measured 6-foot-2 and weighed 241 pounds at the scouting combine, had surgery on his right ankle in December.
Mack was a finalist for the Campbell Trophy and won the ACC's Jim Tatum Award as the league's top senior football student-athlete. He finished 2019 No. 1 in the ACC among linebackers with 7.5 sacks, which ranks No. 15 among the nation's linebackers.
After the combine, Mack has been very active virtually with teams and coaches in the NFL leading up to the draft.
“(I’ve used technology to) stay in contact with my agent, you get phone calls, texts messages, facetimes on a daily basis so it's pretty much doing as much as you can virtually because of the things that are happening,” Mack said.
Mack suffered an ankle injury after playing in 14 games and making 12 starts. He was unable to play against Florida in the Orange Bowl.
Mack couldn’t work at the combine and would not have been ready for his pro day.
“You know your film speaks volumes,” Mack said. “At the end of the day that's what you do. You play football and we have as much film as we have and play as much as we got and don't worry about it too much.”
Mack started as a freshman and had 114 tackles as a sophomore. He battled through injuries as a junior and senior.
Mack finished his career with 289 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks and six forced fumbles.
“Bright linebacker with good instincts and production as a four-year starter,” wrote NFL.Com draft analyst Lance Zierlein on Mack’s NFL.com bio. “He lacks the size and pop to be a will-imposer at the point of attack, but he has adequate straight-line speed as a run-and-chase outside linebacker in an even front.
“His short-area burst and athleticism are just average and his desire to play fast leads to biting on bait against misdirection. He's very active and plays with good energy and decisiveness, which accounts for his consistency of production against the run.”
Mack believes he’ll be fully recovered in time for training camp if he latches on to a team.
“So, I would say probably March, the three-month mark is where I felt really, really good,” Mack said. “The athletic trainers at UVA did a really good job at putting things together for me and still to this day staying on top of me… from the team standpoint everything has been pretty positive.”
He’s tried to stay upbeat through his virtual interviews with NFL teams.
“The teams are just asking if I'm healthy and giving virtual videos and having a medical re-check with some teams,” Mack said. “You know, just letting them see my ankle and flexibility… Everything has been positive. I've sent out videos to teams and they're seeing that I'm healthy and things have been pretty positive.”
Mack has a “seventh round or priority free agent” grade on NFL.com.
“I put so much work in and done so much on and off the field so you know it's a once in a lifetime opportunity so why not give it a shot,” Mack said. “So, I'm going to put my best foot forward and go out there and give myself a shot.”
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The Grady Sports Bureau is part of the sports media program at the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
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