Smith is a low-to-the-ground space-eater who wins with natural leverage and sheer mass at the point of attack. He's at his best when asked to two-gap, occupy blockers, and control the A-gaps against downhill run schemes — and he knows it, describing his own game as 'controlling the run, controlling A to A.' The pass-rush upside is virtually nonexistent: 3.5 career sacks across 50 games tells you everything, and Zierlein flatly states he 'offers no rush help.' You're drafting a specialist — a potential nose tackle who can keep your linebackers clean on early downs, but who will need to come off the field in passing situations. The floor is a practice squad body who never sticks; the ceiling is a 10-year rotational nose who carves out a quiet, valuable career on run-heavy defensive fronts.
- Natural leverage from low center of gravity at 6-1 — doesn't have to play low, he IS low
- Wide, powerful base allows him to anchor and absorb double teams at the point of attack
- Dropped significant weight (reported 20 lbs) entering 2025, adding quickness to complement his mass
- High-character, tone-setting worker — praised by coaching staff and described himself as 'a guy who comes into work every day'
- Durable when healthy — started all 12 games in 2025 after returning from a lost 2024 season
- Virtually no pass-rush production or upside — 3.5 career sacks over 50 games, and Zierlein explicitly says 'offers no rush help'
- Can be reached and sealed by centers on move blocks — lateral agility is a clear limitation
- Lost entire 2024 season to injury, raising durability questions despite a healthy 2025
- Limited career production overall — 111 career tackles and 9.5 TFL across six college years is underwhelming even for a nose tackle
Undersized nose tackle who carved out a long NFL career (primarily with the Chargers) as a rotational run-stuffer with minimal pass-rush contribution. Similar body type, leverage-based game, and limited scope of impact — but enough value in the run game to stick on rosters for years.