D'Anthony Smith Scouting Report

Despite starting the last 44 games of his collegiate career, D'Anthony Smith has largely gone under the radar. Louisiana Tech was not exactly a powerhouse in the Western Athletic Conference during Smith's tenure, but the defense was pretty good at times and Smith played a big part in that. Even as a true freshman Smith earned eight starts. After that he was a staple in the starting lineup. He was a two time first-team all-conference award winner and ended his career with 12.5 sacks and 23.5 tackles-for-loss; which is not bad at all for a tackle. Smith does not lack in strength and agility. He has great lateral quickness and simply makes plays. His experience in a 4-3 defense and a 3-4 defense even gives him some versatility, although he will not exactly fit in most 3-4 schemes in the NFL. Yet, he did play some nose tackle with the Bulldogs when they were in the nickel package. What is keeping Smith down most draft boards are his intangibles. He does not always play with a nastiness that NFL teams would like to see. He has the talent and experience to be in the regular rotation of defensive tackles at the next level right away, but his lack of intensity could cause big problems sooner than later. However, if he can prove that he is ready and willing to be a tough, hard nosed defensive tackle, he could be a steal in the third or fourth round.