Jason Smith[1] (born April 30, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the St. Louis Rams with the second overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft. He played college football for the Baylor Bears. As a professional, he was a member of the Rams, the New York Jets, and the New Orleans Saints.
No. 77, 63 | |||||||
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Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Dallas, Texas, U.S. | April 30, 1986||||||
Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 308 lb (140 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | W. T. White (Dallas, Texas) | ||||||
College: | Baylor (2004–2008) | ||||||
NFL draft: | 2009 / round: 1 / pick: 2 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Early life
editSmith attended W. T. White High School, in Dallas, Texas. He was a First-team All-District honors as a sophomore and junior as an offensive tackle. As a senior, he was moved to tight end, catching seven passes for 101 yards and one touchdown. He was rewarded with All-District honors as a senior.
At 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) and 220 lb (100 kg), Smith did not have ideal size and was only considered a two-star prospect by Rivals.com.[2] He drew few scholarship offers and committed to Baylor on the same day that he received his offer.[3]
College career
editAfter redshirting his first season at Baylor, Smith played tight end in 2005, appearing in 11 games, starting eight. He caught 6 passes for 70 yards and one touchdown. As a sophomore in 2006, he was moved to the offensive line and started all 12 games of his sophomore season at right tackle. Despite missing several games due to a sprained knee, Smith earned an All-Big 12 honorable mention as he started seven games at left tackle as a junior.
Prior to his senior year, Smith graduated a year early from the school in May 2008, having graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree in recreation. As a senior in 2008 he was an All-American selection and an All-Big 12 Conference selection as well. Smith was named Baylor's co-Most Valuable Player. He was credited by the school with 96 knockdown blocks, which were the most ever by a Baylor offensive lineman. Smith gave up 3+1⁄2 sacks and was penalized five times. With Baylor running a spread offense since the arrival of new head coach Art Briles, Smith was usually in a two-point stance for pass protection, which caused NFL scouts to question his run blocking ability.[4]
College awards and honors
edit- 2008 First-team All-Big 12[5]
- 2008 Associated Press[6] and Rivals.com Third-team All-American[7]
- 2008 Football Writers Association of America All-American[8]
- 2008 Pro Football Weekly honorable mention All-American[9]
Professional career
editPre-draft
editAt the 2009 NFL Combine, Smith recorded the 11th-fastest 40-yard dash (5.09 seconds), tied for the fourth-most repetitions in the bench press (33), and was sixth in the three-cone drill (7.53 seconds) among all offensive linemen who participated.[10] He scored a 23 on the Wonderlic Test.[11] Smith drew comparisons to Ryan Clady.[12]
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
309 lb (140 kg) |
33+3⁄4 in (0.86 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) |
5.22 s | 1.85 s | 3.05 s | 4.69 s | 7.53 s | 24 in (0.61 m) |
8 ft 0 in (2.44 m) |
33 reps | 23 |
All values from NFL Combine[13][14] |
St. Louis Rams
editSmith was selected in the first round with the second overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft by the St. Louis Rams.[15][16] He was Baylor's first first-round draft pick since Daryl Gardener in 1996. On July 30, 2009, the Rams agreed to terms with Smith on a six-year contract worth up to $61 million, with $33 million in guarantees.
As a rookie in 2009, Smith played mostly right tackle, although he played some left tackle, the position for which he was drafted. In his rookie season, Smith suffered a serious concussion November 22, 2009. "My situation was real serious," Smith related, and it caused him to miss the remainder of his rookie season.[17] In 2010, Smith was beaten out by rookie Rodger Saffold.[18]
New York Jets (first stint)
editThe St. Louis Rams agreed to trade Smith to the New York Jets in exchange for tackle Wayne Hunter on August 27, 2012.[19] He was released from the Jets on February 19, 2013.[20]
New Orleans Saints
editOn April 11, 2013, Smith signed with the New Orleans Saints.[21] On August 21, 2013, he was released by the Saints.[22]
New York Jets (second stint)
editOn August 23, 2013, Smith was re-signed by the Jets.[23] He was released on August 31, 2013.[24]
References
edit- ^ "Jason Smith Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ "Jason Smith - Football Recruiting". Rivals.com.
- ^ Howell, Jason (January 14, 2004). "Catching Up: Jason Smith". SicEmSports.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011.
- ^ Niyo, John (February 23, 2009). "NFL must adjust to the spread". Detroit News.
- ^ "2008 All-Big 12 Football Awards Announced". December 2, 2008.
- ^ "Associated Press names 2008 All-America Team".
- ^ "Rivals.com 2008 All-America Teams". Archived from the original on December 16, 2008.
- ^ "FWAA NAMES 2008 ALL-AMERICA TEAM".
- ^ "Pro Football Weekly's 2008 All-America team".[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Combine notebook: It's about keeping up with the Smiths".[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Georgia's Matthew Stafford stands out with NFL Wonderlic score". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ^ "Pro Football War Room: Jason Smith". SportingNews.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
- ^ "Jason Smith Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ "2009 NFL Draft Scout Jason Smith College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ "2009 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- ^ "Baylor OT Smith ready for smooth transition to NFL". Archived from the original on March 1, 2009.
- ^ "NFL still gathering data on concussions after instituting a new policy a year ago". The Victoria Advocate. September 24, 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ^ Smooth Draft: Rams Take Tackle Smith[permanent dead link ]
- ^ Cimini, Rich; Chris Mortensen (August 27, 2012). "Jets deal for RT Jason Smith". ESPN New York. Archived from the original on August 31, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
- ^ Lange, Randy (February 19, 2013). "Five Are Gone, but 'They'll Always Be Jets'". New York Jets. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
- ^ Osgood, Will (April 12, 2013). "Evaluating the Saints' Free Agent Acquisition of OT Jason Smith". Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
- ^ Breech, John (August 21, 2013). "Saints release OL Jason Smith, Rams No. 2 overall pick in 2009". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
- ^ Cimini, Rich (August 23, 2013). "Jets re-sign Jason Smith [Updated]". ESPN New York. Archived from the original on August 23, 2013. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ^ Lange, Randy (August 31, 2013). "Jets Move 22, Get Down to 53-Man Active Roster". New York Jets. Archived from the original on September 3, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2013.