2009 Scouting Report: Jason Smith

After the endless talk of OL prospects I find it amazing that Jason Smith’s name hasn’t been mentioned much here. He’s a 6’5", 305 lb. tackle from Baylor and definitely looks to be the most athletic of the offensive tackle prospects available in the draft. His work ethic and intelligence have proven to be his greatest tools as he made a switch from tight end to offensive tackle after his freshman year.

Strengths:

He’s a very athletic and nimble tackle who is light on his feet yet plays with a mean streak. His powerful initial punch makes him an excellent pass blocker that can keep up with the best, and fastest DEs. His love for the game of football and his tremendous work ethic made his switch from an athletic position to a lineman smooth. In an interview, he was asked how he felt about the position switch:

"The transition for me was easy because I just wanted to play football. I didn’t care where I lined up, it could have been on offense or defense; it didn’t matter to me. I always wanted to be the best at what I was doing and you may never be the best, but you can always work and try to become the best. It was one of those situations."

To have such an attitude after playing the TE position your entire football life and to embrace a challenge as large as a monumental position switch shows that he has the drive it takes to make himself into an even better player at the NFL level. 

Weaknesses:

He still needs to get stronger to elevate his game to an all-around tackle. As of right now he could come in and start for an NFL team; however, he may be a liability for a running game as he will probably struggle to get a strong push forward and could be bumped backwards. In 2007, during his junior year sprained his MCL in the season-opener and missed 3 games. He reinjured the knee during his second game back from the injury and missed an additional 2 games. He finished the last 4 games of that season and played the entire 2008 season without injury.

Summary:

In conclusion, I’m not so sure that Jason Smith will be a great fit in the Jaguar offense  because he looks to be a tremendous pass blocker but a weak run blocker. The Jaguars should be looking to return to the excellent rushing attack of years prior and I’m not sure that Jason Smith would be the proper fit in this role. However, there is a good chance that he will be drafted among the top 3 offensive linemen in the draft and force one of the other tackles that would be a good fit for the Jaguars to be drafted later. If he is drafted by Jacksonville I am sure his great work ethic will get him the muscle and strength necessary to be the run blocker needed.