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Worried about Alabama OT Andre Smith? Check the tape
By Pete Dougherty • pdougher@greenbaypressgazette.com • April 20, 2009
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Del.icio.usFacebookDiggRedditNewsvineBuzz up!TwitterAs NFL scouts like to say, the videotape doesn’t lie. So, when projecting Andre Smith’s draft position, go back to the videotape.
Smith, the huge tackle from Alabama, has had a shaky offseason that has only fueled concerns about his maturity and dedication as a junior entry in this year’s draft.
But when scouts watch his videotape as a three-year starter, they see a huge (6-foot-4, 332 pounds), fairly athletic and sometimes dominant blocker, especially in the run game.
So, even though Smith has given teams plenty to worry about regarding his reliability, especially once he gets a hefty NFL pay day, there’s a decent chance he’ll be gone by the time the Green Bay Packers select at No. 9 overall.
“When you put the uniform on and forget about all the outside stuff, I thought he was a heck of a player,” said the national scout for an NFC team. “Athletic, good quickness, good balance at the block point and beyond. It was just the (offseason) preparation that went bad on him.”
Teams drafting in the top 10 will have to have run thorough background checks and personal interviews to make up their minds on whether to spend a prime pick on him. Will he be a dedicated professional? Will he play hard enough and contribute this year, or will it take a year before he’s ready? Are there likely to be the same problems in the future that he’s had this winter and spring?
Smith’s blundering offseason began at the Sugar Bowl, where he was suspended because of improper contact with an agent. Then, he took too much time off from training and sat out the physical tests and drills at the NFL scouting combine in February because, as he told teams, he wasn’t in good enough shape. He exacerbated that by leaving the combine early without notifying league officials. Players not working out normally stay until their position group goes home.
Then, two weeks later, he had a mediocre workout at Alabama’s Pro Day and didn’t do himself any favors by taking off his shirt for his 40-yard dash, which exposed his jiggling belly and chest for all to see.
Smith has told teams he was suspended because a family member, not he, had contact with the agent, and he reported it himself to the coaching staff in the days leading up to the game. Alabama suspended Smith rather than play him and find out later he was ineligible.
“It was kind of a stand-up gesture to report it,” one scout said.
“He was a little short on details,” another scout said.
The bigger issue is Smith’s maturity and commitment to his career. In college, he had problems keeping his weight down and showed a shaky work ethic. Also detracting from his value is most scouts doubt he’s agile enough to play left tackle in the NFL, so he’ll have to move to right tackle, perhaps even to guard.
But offensive line generally is one of the safest positions to select at the top of the draft, and there are several teams among the top eight selections looking hard at the top three tackles. Baylor left tackle Jason Smith figures to go in the top two or three picks, and if Virginia’s Eugene Monroe is selected in the top six or seven, then Smith could go to Jacksonville with the No. 8 pick overall.
If Smith is gone by the Packers’ pick at No. 9, one other left tackle, Mississippi’s Michael Oher, could be on General Manager Ted Thompson’s radar. Some scouts, though, have serious reservations about selecting Oher in the top 10 because of his questionable toughness and ability to adapt to the NFL on and off the field.
On the other hand, if Smith is on the board at No. 9, he could fill an immediate need for the Packers at right tackle, where Mark Tauscher remains unsigned and recovering from major knee surgery, with a player who has the legitimate physical talent of a top-10 pick.
“You’d definitely have to think about it,” a personnel director for another team said, “because the guy’s good enough to be a starter in this league. Some of (his problems) could be immaturity, some of it could be listening to too many people. There’s something there that makes you nervous. (But) he’s going to be a starter in the league, so you have to look hard at it.”
By Pete Dougherty • pdougher@greenbaypressgazette.com • April 20, 2009
Read Comments(19) Recommend (2)Print this pageE-mail this articleShare
Del.icio.usFacebookDiggRedditNewsvineBuzz up!TwitterAs NFL scouts like to say, the videotape doesn’t lie. So, when projecting Andre Smith’s draft position, go back to the videotape.
Smith, the huge tackle from Alabama, has had a shaky offseason that has only fueled concerns about his maturity and dedication as a junior entry in this year’s draft.
But when scouts watch his videotape as a three-year starter, they see a huge (6-foot-4, 332 pounds), fairly athletic and sometimes dominant blocker, especially in the run game.
So, even though Smith has given teams plenty to worry about regarding his reliability, especially once he gets a hefty NFL pay day, there’s a decent chance he’ll be gone by the time the Green Bay Packers select at No. 9 overall.
“When you put the uniform on and forget about all the outside stuff, I thought he was a heck of a player,” said the national scout for an NFC team. “Athletic, good quickness, good balance at the block point and beyond. It was just the (offseason) preparation that went bad on him.”
Teams drafting in the top 10 will have to have run thorough background checks and personal interviews to make up their minds on whether to spend a prime pick on him. Will he be a dedicated professional? Will he play hard enough and contribute this year, or will it take a year before he’s ready? Are there likely to be the same problems in the future that he’s had this winter and spring?
Smith’s blundering offseason began at the Sugar Bowl, where he was suspended because of improper contact with an agent. Then, he took too much time off from training and sat out the physical tests and drills at the NFL scouting combine in February because, as he told teams, he wasn’t in good enough shape. He exacerbated that by leaving the combine early without notifying league officials. Players not working out normally stay until their position group goes home.
Then, two weeks later, he had a mediocre workout at Alabama’s Pro Day and didn’t do himself any favors by taking off his shirt for his 40-yard dash, which exposed his jiggling belly and chest for all to see.
Smith has told teams he was suspended because a family member, not he, had contact with the agent, and he reported it himself to the coaching staff in the days leading up to the game. Alabama suspended Smith rather than play him and find out later he was ineligible.
“It was kind of a stand-up gesture to report it,” one scout said.
“He was a little short on details,” another scout said.
The bigger issue is Smith’s maturity and commitment to his career. In college, he had problems keeping his weight down and showed a shaky work ethic. Also detracting from his value is most scouts doubt he’s agile enough to play left tackle in the NFL, so he’ll have to move to right tackle, perhaps even to guard.
But offensive line generally is one of the safest positions to select at the top of the draft, and there are several teams among the top eight selections looking hard at the top three tackles. Baylor left tackle Jason Smith figures to go in the top two or three picks, and if Virginia’s Eugene Monroe is selected in the top six or seven, then Smith could go to Jacksonville with the No. 8 pick overall.
If Smith is gone by the Packers’ pick at No. 9, one other left tackle, Mississippi’s Michael Oher, could be on General Manager Ted Thompson’s radar. Some scouts, though, have serious reservations about selecting Oher in the top 10 because of his questionable toughness and ability to adapt to the NFL on and off the field.
On the other hand, if Smith is on the board at No. 9, he could fill an immediate need for the Packers at right tackle, where Mark Tauscher remains unsigned and recovering from major knee surgery, with a player who has the legitimate physical talent of a top-10 pick.
“You’d definitely have to think about it,” a personnel director for another team said, “because the guy’s good enough to be a starter in this league. Some of (his problems) could be immaturity, some of it could be listening to too many people. There’s something there that makes you nervous. (But) he’s going to be a starter in the league, so you have to look hard at it.”