Dawuane Smoot - interesting prospect

[DeaconMoss]

Played both end positions. Looks better at 5T, but has a nice bull rush at the 7T in several plays. I don't see a spin move though or that bend from the 7t that I want. Has some position flex, maybe a 2nd round grade.

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/dawuane-smoot-edge-illinois-2017-nfl-draft-scouting-report-011517

WF:
Dawuane Smoot, DE, Illinois
Height: 6-3. Weight: 255.
Projected 40 Time: 4.72.
Projected Round (2017): 1.
1/14/17: Smoot notched 56 tackles and 15 for a loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass batted in 2016.

Sources say that Smoot is very athletic and explosive off the edge; however, they feel he is more disruptive than productive. Smoot is the kind of player who will have a lot of pressures on the quarterback, but only a few sacks. Sources say he could be a more athletic and twitchier version of Whitney Mercilus. In speaking to sources at multiple teams, they view Smoot as a mid- to late first-rounder.

Smoot had a strong junior season in 2015 as he totaled eight sacks with 15 tackles for a loss, 40 tackles, two passes batted and three forced fumbles. He started across from Jihad Ward, and sources said that Smoot impressed them while grading Ward for the 2016 NFL Draft. As a sophomore in 2014, Smoot had 33 tackles with 7.5 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks





After watching this, I'm placing Smoot in the do not want pile. He got worked against Michigan. Thats Erik Magnuson. 5th year senior all Big 10. Magnuson looks like a nice Free replacement BTW.

 

[skinsscalper]

Played both end positions. Looks better at 5T, but has a nice bull rush at the 7T in several plays. I don't see a spin move though or that bend from the 7t that I want. Has some position flex, maybe a 2nd round grade.

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/dawuane-smoot-edge-illinois-2017-nfl-draft-scouting-report-011517

WF:
Dawuane Smoot, DE, Illinois
Height: 6-3. Weight: 255.
Projected 40 Time: 4.72.
Projected Round (2017): 1.
1/14/17: Smoot notched 56 tackles and 15 for a loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass batted in 2016.

Sources say that Smoot is very athletic and explosive off the edge; however, they feel he is more disruptive than productive. Smoot is the kind of player who will have a lot of pressures on the quarterback, but only a few sacks. Sources say he could be a more athletic and twitchier version of Whitney Mercilus. In speaking to sources at multiple teams, they view Smoot as a mid- to late first-rounder.

Smoot had a strong junior season in 2015 as he totaled eight sacks with 15 tackles for a loss, 40 tackles, two passes batted and three forced fumbles. He started across from Jihad Ward, and sources said that Smoot impressed them while grading Ward for the 2016 NFL Draft. As a sophomore in 2014, Smoot had 33 tackles with 7.5 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks





After watching this, I'm placing Smoot in the do not want pile. He got worked against Michigan. Thats Erik Magnuson. 5th year senior all Big 10. Magnuson looks like a nice Free replacement BTW.

Not only did he get worked by Magnuson he got worked by the TEs, too. That dude gave up way too many plays in both the passing and running game. If he can't handle Michigan, Washington, Philly, and NY will eat this dude's lunch. Not a big fan of his motor, either. He had given up by the end of the second quarter if that Michigan game, it seemed.

 

[TheDank]

When watching his tape, his teammate Carroll Phillips flashes more w/ better get off and twitch. I liked him as a second round guy if we didn't get an edge at 28, but I heard something about off-field issues with him.

 

[IlliniNation]

Having seen him play a lot he definitely has things to work on. His motor needs to get better. Doesn't have the non stop motor you look for. Like mentioned a couple posts above, he gives up on plays too quickly. Illinois sucked this year. I felt like he played better early in the season, and faded away as the long season drug on. He gets himself and his body in bad positioning. He doesnt get separation from OL unless he created it with quickness off the ball. If an OL gets into him, he lacks moves to get away. Pass rushing he tends to get way too wide or up field and the QB can step up in the pocket to easily.

Having said all of that he is a freak athlete. Ran the hurdles in high school track. Shows flashes of greatness. Has great character. Carroll Phillips was mentioned above. He is a good player too but had the long suspension and some character question marks. Dawuane is raw. He has a lot of skill refining to do. I think he is worthy of a mid round pick. He has a tall ceiling with a lot of potential.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

Having seen him play a lot he definitely has things to work on. His motor needs to get better. Doesn't have the non stop motor you look for. Like mentioned a couple posts above, he gives up on plays too quickly. Illinois sucked this year. I felt like he played better early in the season, and faded away as the long season drug on. He gets himself and his body in bad positioning. He doesnt get separation from OL unless he created it with quickness off the ball. If an OL gets into him, he lacks moves to get away. Pass rushing he tends to get way too wide or up field and the QB can step up in the pocket to easily.

Having said all of that he is a freak athlete. Ran the hurdles in high school track. Shows flashes of greatness. Has great character. Carroll Phillips was mentioned above. He is a good player too but had the long suspension and some character question marks. Dawuane is raw. He has a lot of skill refining to do. I think he is worthy of a mid round pick. He has a tall ceiling with a lot of potential.

Lol, his motor needs to get better?

I'd say that's one of his strongest traits.

 

[theogt]

When watching his tape, his teammate Carroll Phillips flashes more w/ better get off and twitch. I liked him as a second round guy if we didn't get an edge at 28, but I heard something about off-field issues with him.

Really? I feel the total opposite. Phillips isn't worth a 4th round pick to me. Smoot would be a very good third round pick.

 

[TheDank]

Really? I feel the total opposite. Phillips isn't worth a 4th round pick to me. Smoot would be a very good third round pick.

Guess it depends on what you're looking for in an edge player. I feel that usually the most valuable pass rushers have an explosive first step and good hand usage. So I try to watch plays where the guys get to "pin their ears back" and just rush the passer to see how explosive they are. When he was coming off the edge as a pure rusher Phillips had an elite first step and I believe could contribute immediately as a pass rush specialist.

Smoot on the other hand may be a good athlete, but even on plays where his only assignment was to get to the QB I felt he never won or even put himself in good position off his initial move. To me he's a JAG strong side end. He's more versatile than Phillips for sure, but I'd prefer the more explosive player.

 

[theogt]

Guess it depends on what you're looking for in an edge player. I feel that usually the most valuable pass rushers have an explosive first step and good hand usage. So I try to watch plays where the guys get to "pin their ears back" and just rush the passer to see how explosive they are. When he was coming off the edge as a pure rusher Phillips had an elite first step and I believe could contribute immediately as a pass rush specialist.

Smoot on the other hand may be a good athlete, but even on plays where his only assignment was to get to the QB I felt he never won or even put himself in good position off his initial move. To me he's a JAG strong side end. He's more versatile than Phillips for sure, but I'd prefer the more explosive player.

Neither is an elite edge rusher. It's just that there's nothing Phillips does that warrants being drafted -- well, at all, really. Smoot however has some ability. He's actually a better looking prospect than Demarcus Lawrence was coming out, though that isn't saying much.

 

[stilltheguru88]

Josh Carraway is better than Smoot. Smoot seems soft to me. We have enough soft players on defense

 

[IlliniNation]

Lol, his motor needs to get better?

I'd say that's one of his strongest traits.

You watch the Illini all season? Everygame?

Don't get me wrong. I like Smoot. Rooting for him to be successful in the NFL. I think he can. The Illini have some good players in the NFL right now. I try to be fair when evaluating my favorite team's prospects.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

You watch the Illini all season? Everygame?

Don't get me wrong. I like Smoot. Rooting for him to be successful in the NFL. I think he can. The Illini have some good players in the NFL right now. I try to be fair when evaluating my favorite team's prospects.

I've watched five of his games (from 2015 & 2016) on draftbreakdown. Do I need to watch a sixth game to draw a conclusion regarding his motor?

 

[IlliniNation]

I see what films your talking about now. I know the knock on him has been he tends to disappear at times, or stretches during a game. He started out 2016 well but faded toward the end. Again, I love him. Just a note on some of his scouting breakdowns. Maybe I'm wrong. As a football coach here in Illinois at the HS level and watching practices with him, your right he will go hard and dominate at times. He is a great kid and I hope him the best. I dont like public arguments on a forum. I hope I've miscalculated his motor. I do think he will be a good player at the NFL level.

 

[bodi]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...tch-whos-rising-whos-falling-post-senior-bowl

one guys opinion

Stock Down: Dawuane Smoot, EDGE, Illinois


Coming into the season, there were high expectations for Dawuane Smoot of Illinois. According to Dane Brugler of NFL Draft Scout, he was a potential first-round candidate, and he had received a second-round grade from the NFL draft advisory board before returning for school in 2016.

Smoot posted 14.5 tackles for a loss and seven sacks as a junior, and there was a realistic possibility that he could develop into a Shaq Lawson-type talent in 2016. The Buffalo Bills drafted Lawson 19th overall in the 2016 draft, despite the fact he had a lingering shoulder issue, which surgery corrected prior to his rookie season starting.

Smoot's senior season—in which he had 15 tackles for loss and five sacks—didn't elevate him much. That's a bit of an issue, as he aged a year and was playing under a new staff at Illinois that had several defensive coaches with NFL backgrounds, ranging from head coach Lovie Smith to defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson to defensive line coach Mike Phair.

In Senior Bowl practices, Smoot was a bit invisible, doing nothing to positively or negatively stand out.

Smoot has a chance to once again trend upward with a quality NFL Scouting Combine, but his week in Mobile didn't bode well for his stock, considering the fact there was an argument he was the best edge defender heading into the week.

 

[xwalker]

When watching his tape, his teammate Carroll Phillips flashes more w/ better get off and twitch. I liked him as a second round guy if we didn't get an edge at 28, but I heard something about off-field issues with him.

Yes, I'm a fan of Phillips.

 

[stilltheguru88]

Not a fan of Smoot or Phillips.

 

[DeaconMoss]

I see what films your talking about now. I know the knock on him has been he tends to disappear at times, or stretches during a game. He started out 2016 well but faded toward the end. Again, I love him. Just a note on some of his scouting breakdowns. Maybe I'm wrong. As a football coach here in Illinois at the HS level and watching practices with him, your right he will go hard and dominate at times. He is a great kid and I hope him the best. I dont like public arguments on a forum. I hope I've miscalculated his motor. I do think he will be a good player at the NFL level.

Do you know what the Phillips off the field issues are?

 

[IlliniNation]

Do you know what the Phillips off the field issues are?

No I dont. Suspended a half vs Rutgers this year. Im not sure what that was for. I probably worded that wrong. Just missed a half so couldnt be too bad. Something team related that coach Smith sat him for.

 

[tm1119]

The thing about Smoot is that he has the type of burst and get off that puts him on a fairly short list of guys in this draft class that can be a pure speed rushing RDE. With that said, there's not a whole lot else to like about his game. I'd take a gamble on him and his athleticism in the 3rd if for some catastrophic reason we hadn't addressed the position yet, but no earlier.

 

[BAT]

The thing about Smoot is that he has the type of burst and get off that puts him on a fairly short list of guys in this draft class that can be a pure speed rushing RDE. With that said, there's not a whole lot else to like about his game. I'd take a gamble on him and his athleticism in the 3rd if for some catastrophic reason we hadn't addressed the position yet, but no earlier.

Still not a first rounder IMO. 2nd rounder at best, good get off but doesn't finish enough. And not physical enough for LDE for my taste. 3rd round would be best value.

 

[kazzd58]

man I'm hoping he's one of our draft picks...