JORDAN SMITH | UAB | DE | #22 | rJr | 6061 | 255 | 4.74e | Lithonia, GA | Lithonia HS
Overview:
Starting his collegiate career with the Florida Gators, Smith was involved in a credit card scandal and got suspended. Ending up at UAB via the juco route, he contributed for two seasons with the Blazers, racking up 14.5 sacks. Smith looks the part with prototypical size for a pass rusher, using his length to attack the chest of blockers and bull-rush them. His hands are violent if they connect with his targets, chopping down the hands of blockers effectively. A long first step that covers plenty of ground puts stress on tackles as they have to gain depth in their sets to counter it, opening up the opportunity for an inside swim move of which Smith often takes advantage. When rushing on an outside track, lower body stiffness prevents him from dipping and bending the corner successfully. He can get driven off the ball in the run game and has to improve his anchor to set an edge on a consistent basis. His aggressive playing style has to be toned down as he often attempts to time up the snap count causing him to jump offside. Smith projects as a developmental defensive end who has intriguing tools to work with including his get-off and length. Developing the ability to convert speed to power would make him a starting-caliber player in the league. He will come onto the field in pass-rush situations as a 7-technique to start his NFL career.
Background:
Raised outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Four-star recruit according to 247Sports. Major is unknown. Redshirt. Suspended for the 2017 season. Transferred to junior college for the 2018 season. Transferred to Alabama-Birmingham. Played in 11 games as a sophomore. Played in nine games as a junior. Suspended due to the Florida credit card scandal.
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