Carter Smith 2026 NFL Draft Profile

As a four-star recruit coming out of Olentangy Liberty High School, Carter Smith was the 19th-ranked offensive tackle in the country and the ninth-ranked recruit in the state of Ohio. He committed to the University of Indiana during the 2022 recruiting cycle despite offers from Tennessee, Auburn, and Virginia. Smith made an appearance in two games as a true freshman before earning the starting job at left tackle in his redshirt freshman season.

In his first full season as a starter, Smith played well on a personal level. He allowed just two sacks, but the team as a whole finished with just three wins. After the hiring of Curt Cignetti, Smith would headline one of the best offensive lines in the country that helped spring the Hoosiers into the College Football Playoff in back-to-back seasons. His 94.4 pass blocking grade this season was second to just one other offensive tackle in college football.

Accolades

• Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year (2025)
• First-Team All-Big Ten Selection (2025)
• Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (2024)

Best Tools

Carter Smith is one of the toughest, strongest offensive tackle prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. He doesn’t have an overwhelming frame at 6-foot-5 and just under 315 pounds, but he plays bigger and stronger than that. Smith doesn’t leave a block unfinished. There are examples as both a pass blocker and run blocker where he runs while still engaged in a block and doesn’t finish until that whistle is blown.

His grip strength as a pass protector is on a different level. Once he strikes with his hands, he very rarely loses grip of his opponent, making him a matchup nightmare for finesse rushers. Smith takes away the ability for the pass rusher to perform a counter, swim or spin move unless they’re able to get to his outside shoulder and prevent him from latching on.

In the running game, Indiana used him a ton as their lead blocker, and for good reason. He is very explosive off the snap and quickly gains the upper hand. This gives him the ability to either seal off the edge on outside runs or turn the defender away from the inside run. Smith excels at opening up the B-gap on power run plays before launching himself into the second level to take on linebackers or safeties.

Tools to Improve

It is easy to tell on film that Carter Smith has less than ideal arm length for an NFL offensive tackle. Much like any other prospect suffering from small arms, he can allow longer-armed pass rushers to get the first point of contact and his reaction is to latch his hands onto the defender’s arm. It is his last-ditch effort to keep the quarterback upright but it leads to a lot of holding penalties, too.

Smith really struggles to protect and perform with his outside shoulder. On the pass protection reps that he loses, this is the main reason. When he doesn’t get a quick enough kick step to match the wide-9 alignment, the defender easily beats him to the outside, performs a swim move and the quarterback is on the ground.

NFL Projection

Carter Smith is the kind of prospect teams will fall in love with once the draft process officially starts. He plays through to the end of the whistle and only gets better during the later stages of a game. The arm length and outside shoulder issues can be avoided with a move inside to guard or even center, but Smith possesses the kind of competitiveness that may force a team to keep him at tackle. After Indiana cemented itself as conference champions, many eyes will be on Smith and the Hoosiers come the 2026 College Football Playoff.