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In a move that all but sealed the fate of veteran DT John Henderson, the Jaguars selected Louisiana Tech DT D'Anthony Smith with the 74th overall selection of the 2010 draft. Smith is a typical Jaguars pick, which is one that the average college football fan has never heard of. So who exactly did the Jaguars take when they selected the Louisiana Tech defensive tackle?
D'Anthony Smith was born in Berlin, Germany, but was raised in Louisiana. As a highly decorated football, basketball and track & field in the state of Louisiana, it was surprising that Smith wasn't more highly recruited out of high school. Smith eventually found a home in the WAC school, Louisiana Tech. D'Anthony quickly saw the field as a Bulldog and saw action in all 13 games his true freshman year. In the 6th game of his freshman year he was named the starter for the team and never relinquished the spot, starting in 44 consecutive games.
Looking at his measurables, the thing that pops out the most is the 35.5" vertical jump that is tied for the best in the nation among interior defensive lineman with Ndamukong Suh. Just a half an inch behind him in second was his newest teamate, Tyson Alualu. That's important among defensive tackles because he indicates a strong lower body and the ability to have dynamic explosion off the snap. At 6'2, 304 pounds, D'Anthony provides another young defensive tackle for the Jaguars to build their future around.
Video Killed the Scouting Report:
D'Anthony Smith: By The Numbers
| D'Anthony Smith | |||||
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Position 1: Defensive Tackle |
Height: 6'2 | ||||
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Position 2: N/A |
Weight: 304 | ||||
| Class: Senior | Age: 21 | ||||
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Projected Round: - |
40time: 5.02 |
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2008, 2009 1st Team All-WAC
Stats Overview
Tackles
Misc
Interceptions
YEAR
TOT
SOLO
AST
SACK
STF
STFY
FF
BK
INT
YDS
AVG
LNG
TD
PD
2006
38
9
29
0
0
0
0
0
1
7
7.0
7
0
0
2007
42
14
28
3
0
0
1
0
0
0
0.0
0
0
0
2008
65
27
38
5
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.0
0
0
0
2009
51
19
32
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0.0
0
0
0
According to the Experts
CBSSports <-- Follow the link for the full report
...Experienced in the 4-3 (under-tackle) and as the nose in a three-man front when the Bulldogs went to nickel. Durable. Started 44 consecutive games to finish his career. Ascending talent with upside worthy of development.
Pros
...Smith is a very athletic player who uses his hands well in all departments, including getting his hands in the air to swat balls. Has a nice initial burst off the snap, and does have several pass rushing moves, although he tended to rely on his bull rush a lot in college. However I attribute that to it being so effective....
Cons
He doesn't seem to love the game on the outside, not a 'beat your chest' type player, and his motivation and intensity has been questioned, and for me those are big red flags straight away....
Pros
Adequate height and good overall bulk --- Very athletic --- Good speed, quickness balance and agility --- Excellent footwork --- Nice range with a burst to close --- Uses his hands well --- Features a solid repertoire of pass rush moves --- Gets terrific penetration --- Powerful and reliable tackler --- Durable --- Productive --- Has lots of experience --- Versatile.
Cons
Questionable instincts and awareness --- Does not always use proper leverage --- Motor runs hot and cold --- Average strength --- Has some trouble getting off blocks --- Not very stout at the point of attack --- Will not get a great push on the bull rush --- Appears to lack a killer instinct.