Usually by this time of year most dedicated draftniks are intimately familiar with just about every prospect who even has a remote chance to being selected in the first round. That’s not necessarily the case this time around though. In fact, there is at least one player who is among the best prospects at his position and a borderline first round pick with the potential to shoot up draft boards in the coming months. The guy I am referring to is Southern Cal offensive tackle Tyron Smith.
Smith is just a junior but with the Trojans ineligible to play in a bowl game due to NCAA sanctions he has already announced his intentions to enter the 2011 NFL Draft. Despite his relative anonymity, it’s not like Smith has emerged from nowhere. Coming out of high school Smith was regarded as one of the nation’s most coveted recruits and checked in at #15 on the Rivals100 list. Smith worked as a backup and special teamer as a true freshman in 2008, seeing action in ten games, before taking over as the starter at right tackle the past two seasons and earning 1st Team All-Pac-10 notice in 2010. A terrific two-way player, Smith excels as both a pass protector and run blocker and is also a sound technician who still has a ton of upside. In some ways will remind you of Winston Justice, minus the character concerns. An impressive physical specimen, Smith is extremely athletic with a large 6-5 frame, long arms and nimble feet. Perhaps the biggest concern with Smith as a pro prospect is his lack of ideal bulk. Smith reportedly weighs in at just 280 pounds, although any respectable pre-draft training facility should easily be able to get him up around the 300 pound mark by the Scouting Combine. Tyron Smith | USC TrojansHowever, will that be artificial mass or legitimate weight that Smith can maintain? Smith has admitted to having a high metabolism, which has hindered his ability to put on and keep on weight in the past. If Smith is unable to develop physically it will be a major red flag because there simply aren’t many little guys starting at offensive tackle in the NFL these days. Another question mark with Smith is his position. As I mentioned, Smith played right tackle at USC and while he certainly appears to have the tools to make the move to the left side at the next level that is something he must prove to scouts in workouts. With all that said, Smith is arguably as talented as any draft-eligible offensive tackle in the country.
Even though Tyron Smith isn’t a household name just yet he has actually been a prominent figure on the scouting trail for months now. I actually got the opportunity to see Smith in person back in September and came away very impressed. Stud blockers are always in high demand on Draft Day but this class lacks a “Franchise Left Tackle” prospect who is destined for the Top 5 overall. That doesn’t change the fact that there are a lot of teams with huge holes on their offensive lines though. Smith appears capable of taking advantage of that situation. Right now Smith is considered by most to be on that late first / early second round fringe. However, if Smith performs as well as expected in workouts his stock will undoubtedly soar. In fact, Smith could ultimately compete to be the first offensive tackle off the board in April. It’s been clear for some time now that offensive tackle was going to be a position to watch closely as the draft draws near because there is still a lot of separation that needs to take place when it comes to the top prospects. Guys like Anthony Castonzo of Boston College, Derek Sherrod of Mississippi State, Nate Solder of Colorado, Gabe Carimi of Wisconsin and DeMarcus Love of Arkansas are all candidates to be the first blocker chosen in the 2011 NFL Draft but now that he’s declared USC’s Tyron Smith is very much in the mix as well.
http://draftcountdown.com/draft-blog/2010/12/best-blocker/
DAL @ GB
