Former Tennessee Vols offensive lineman Trey Smith gets real at Super Bowl LIX

Former Tennessee Vols offensive lineman Trey Smith should've been an early round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. 

Smith, a former five-star recruit, was undoubtedly a first-round talent coming out of Tennessee. 

The former Vol, however, wasn't selected until the sixth round of the draft by the Kansas City Chiefs due to concerns over blood clots in his lungs that he dealt with during his sophomore season at Tennessee. 

Smith missed the final five games of the 2018 season due to the blood clots, but he returned to the field in 2019 and played in all 13 games for the Volunteers (with 12 starts). Smith also started all 10 games for Tennessee during the COVID-impacted 2020 season. 

During his four seasons with the Chiefs, Smith has made 79 total starts (that includes 12 starts in the playoffs), proving that concerns during the 2021 NFL Draft about his health were misguided. 

Smith was asked during Super Bowl LIX media week by CHGO Sports about his journey to the NFL after falling in the draft four years ago. 

The former Tennessee standout admitted that it made him angry when people questioned his ability to continue playing football during the draft process.

"I just gotta give all the thanks and glory to God in my situation," said Smith. "Just trusting His plan in my life and just sticking with it. You know, having people look you in the eye and be like, 'you're not playing football anymore, you can't do this', that pi--ed me off. So at the end of day, I had to trust in His plan and just keep working. I have self belief and confidence that, you know what, there's a plan in my life. And if the plan is telling me I'm gonna go play football at a high level, I'm gonna do it."

"I try to be one of the most physical players on the field," added Smith when asked to describe how he plays the game. "To me, football is a violent ass game. I want to be violent when I play the game."