LB Will Smith

[IAmLegend]

Height: 6' 2'
Weight: 231 lbs.

Texas Tech Pro Day Stats (2014)

40-Yard: 4,68
Vert. Jump:37.5'
225 Bench:17 Reps
College Stats

Texas Tech Stats (Career Stats)

Solo Tlks:120
Ast Tlks:55
Sacks:4,5
Total Tlks:175

 

[MrMom]

@dpbrugler: Will Smith a good value pick in the 7th rnd by the #Cowboys. He received a draftable grade from me because he was ALWAYS around the football

 

[JoeyBoy718]

So are we trying to fill in that WOLB spot?

 

[AKATheRake]

I think the team liked what Wilber did last year and they want to give him every chance to start.

If they have to move Carter they will.

 

[IAmLegend]

There's another highlight video of him on Youtube with more recent highlights but it has vulgar music so can't post. Go watch if you'd like.

He's undersized but can really fly to the ball. Like him in certain packages against the pass. He can move. His speed will be good in blitz packages as well.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

There's another highlight video of him on Youtube with more recent highlights but it has vulgar music so can't post. Go watch if you'd like.

I thought Will Smith was a clean rapper.

 

[Cowboyz88]

I'm a Red Raider and Smith drove me nuts…not a fan of this pick.

 

[gmoney112]

I went to every home game this season and this earns a meh from me.

 

[zrinkill]

He is a 7th round pick they are not supposed to be exciting.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I don't know how much experience he has



Watching this you see him miss tackles, overrun plays, not be able to get off blocks.

He is a poor tackler but he runs very very well. Athletic project but i am not sure that he has the instincts you need to play LB.

 

[vicjagger]

He better be the Will Smith from Hancock.

 

[IAmLegend]

 

[IAmLegend]

As someone else noted, we now have Martin, LAwrence, and Will Smith on our team.. We've got the Bad Boys on our defense.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

An article on Will Smith...

Senior LB Will Smith will try and make an NFL Roster this summer, and though it doesn't look like he'll be drafted, he still will have a shot at making a team. He is listed as OLB at the next level. Before we go any further, let's take a look at Will Smith's measurables and possible outcomes in the upcoming draft.
PLAYERDETAILS
Will SmithPOSITION: Linebacker (60th at Position, 718th overall)
HEIGHT: 6'2"
WEIGHT: 231
FORTY: 4.68
VERTICAL: 37.5
BENCH REPS: 17
VIDEO: Holiday Bowl
BEST CASE SCENARIO: Get's drafted in 7th round
WORST CASE SCENARIO: Doesn't make NFL Roster


Will Smith is probably not going to be drafted, as he is not ranked very high and there are several good LBs ahead of him. However, I've seen teams like the Patriots draft guys ranked 400 in the 2nd or 3rd round, causing me to grunt in frustration and repeatedly hit my head on the coffee table. His 40 time is right on target with several OLB, and his Vertical jump is better than most OLB, but what kills Will Smith the most is his strength. Many of the OLB get at least 23-25 bench reps, but Will Smith only was able to do 17 at his pro day. As an OLB in the NFL, you either need to have elusive speed and agility or be strong enough to be able to push through linemen and tackle the opposition. While Will Smith was a good tackler in college, it's going to be harder bringing some of the bigger RB and guarding the new type of TEs coming in. Will Smith described his strengths and weaknesses in an interview with our own Seth C.

Seth C: What do you feel like are your biggest strengths and what do you need to work on as you work your way towards the NFL?

Will Smith: My biggest strengths are my speed and getting to the ball, my change of direction and pass coverage. I need to work on being more physical with my hands on blockers, and sometimes on tackling my feet go dead, so just to keep my feet running through a ball carrier instead of to one.

Here is what NFL.com said about Will Smith during Texas Tech's pro day:

Will Smith, LB (6-2 1/8, 231) — Smith ran the 40 in 4.68 seconds against the wind and 4.60 seconds with the wind. He had a 37 1/2-inch vertical jump and a 9-5 broad jump. He did the short shuttle in 4.50 seconds and the three-cone in 7.05 seconds. He had 17 strength lifts

Let's look at the positives here. Will Smith, playing in a passing league, has good experience guarding against the pass, which is crucial in today's NFL. His good speed for an OLB and vertical jump will be crucial for mirroring running backs and tight ends, along with giving him to ability to knock down or intercept the ball. Also, he's good at recognizing where the runner is going and getting to the location to make the tackle (He had 120 recorded tackled last season). Finally, he has leadership, which will cause many teams to put him higher on their draft board. Will Smith also earned some awards, including Big XII honorable mention, AP Big 12 first team and Defensive MVP of the Holiday Bowl. Will Smith will likely at least be given a shot on a team (Waddle, Davis and Doege all got free agent spots), and hopefully he makes it. But what teams could Will Smith go to? It's going to be hard to guess, but let's take a crack at it.

Dallas Cowboys - Cowboys have a little bit on a LB issue right now. In fact they have a whole front seven issue. Most likely they will grab a lot of DEs and DTs early on, but later on they will probably target LBs. I think they'll get one around rounds 3-5, which means they probably won't draft Will Smith However, Jerry Jones just loves to get guys from the Big XII and Arkansas on his team, especially in the late rounds (example: Joseph Randle, James Hanna) and maybe even more so in rookie free agency (Darrin Moore went to Cowboys camp). So we could possibly see Will Smith here. Who knows what Jerry Jones is thinking.

New Orleans Saints - The only I think that he could go here is the fact that Saints could use more depth for true outside linebackers and possibly they could target Smith with former Red Raider Keyunta Dawson, who had similar numbers and rankings to Will Smith when he came out of Texas Tech. Plus the fact that New Orleans is close to Texas Tech then some other schools could contribute.

Arizona Cardinals - Cardinals are in deep trouble at OLB right now, with hardly on linebackers on their depth chart and the ones that are on the depth chart are getting up there in age. Cardinals have a lot of problems, so they may not be able to get as many LBs are they wish, causing them to pick up some in Rookie free agency.

So hopefully Will Smith's ability to defend the pass and tackle will get him on a roster spot. Maybe a team decides to take a chance at him in the draft or in free agency, hoping to build up his strength. There is one thing we know, he was a great Red Raider and will make this organization proud. Here's to hoping he does that in Pro Football. What do you think will happen to Will Smith come draft week?

http://www.vivathematadors.com/2014/4/3/5568870/nfl-draft-profile-will-smith

 

[MichaelWinicki]

At this point his specialty seems to be against the pass. If he is good in that area, he can make this team, god knows this isn't a linebacking corps full of good pass defenders.

 

[casmith07]

I thought Will Smith was a clean rapper.

10/10, lol.

 

[wileedog]

I don't know how much experience he has



Watching this you see him miss tackles, overrun plays, not be able to get off blocks.

He is a poor tackler but he runs very very well. Athletic project but i am not sure that he has the instincts you need to play LB.

OMG he looks terrible in that vid. If I was his agent I would have paid real money to make sure that got erased before it made the internet.

 

[StarBoyz83]

If the 2 lbs we drafted cant start on this team then they have no chance in the nfl. We have one of the worst lb cores in the nfl.