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Player Profile - 4.5.09

Pros: Smith shines as a great pass blocker—he former tight end has the necessary long arms to keep pass rushers at bay. He shows great balance, nimble feet, is very quick off the snap and he gets to the second level to create big plays, especially when pulling. Smith plays hard and has a dominating presence on the field, which is why he is viewed as possessing the ideal skill set to protect the quarterback’s backside. He is still learning and might have the most upside of any offensive linemen in the Class of 2009.

Cons: Smith is not as experienced as the other top offensive linemen and is a bit raw, not surprising considering he did not start his career at Baylor playing in a three-point stance. For a former tight end, he doesn’t move from side-to-side as well as one might anticipate. There is a lot of speculation about whether he has the upper body strength to handle bull rushers and he doesn’t dominate as a run blocker as much scouts would like. The former Bear could use some time to fully learn the proper techniques of the position. Particularly when running blocking, he needs to do a better job of bending his knees. An MCL injury caused Smith to miss five games in his junior season and will be something teams will look at—making durability a slight concern.

Scouts Take: In a very stacked offensive tackle class, Smith has the best combination of athletic ability and upside. He is exactly the type of player that teams want to build a line around. Not many players’ draft stock have gone up as much as Smith’s since the start of the season. Once considered a mid-to-late first rounder, Smith has moved into the top four and could possibly be the number one overall pick on April 25th. After starting his college career at tight end, the Baylor product has made a nice transition to the O-Line but is still learning this. Because of this Smith has tremendous upside. It may not happen in his rookie campaign, but he should be able to play at a high level for years to come.

School Bio

2.23.09 - Raise your hand if you expected Smith to lift 225 33 times. He already looks like a natural vs. the pass. When you combine this kind of strength and conditioning with the mean streak he flashed in games and top notch character, you get the new odds on favorite to be the #1 overall pick. The risk he carries coming out of a spread offense is now overshadowed by Smith’s shutdown LT upside. Draft Guys

12.13.08 - Baylor's Jason Smith was among 25 student-athletes named to the 2008 Football Writers Association of America All-America Team, announced Saturday on ABC. Smith is the 45th Baylor student-athlete to earn All-America honors and Baylor's first since punter Daniel Sepulveda in 2006. A product of W.T. White High School in Dallas, Texas, Smith anchored a Baylor offensive line this year that produced 2,349 yards and 29 touchdowns rushing. The Bears ranked 25th nationally and third in the Big 12 with 195.8 rushing yards per game. Baylor's rushing touchdown total was its best since 1994, the third-best season total in school history and one shy of the school record.

10.3.08 - With a 6-foot-5, 298-pound frame and superb athleticism, Smith is projected to become Baylor's first No. 1 draft pick since the Miami Dolphins selected defensive lineman Daryl Gardener with the 20th overall pick in 1996. "Jason has a passion for the game to go along with his size," said Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland, who kicked for Baylor from 1988-91. "You're always looking for good athletes no matter which position they are playing. Jason's a guy who can move his feet and block the guy in front of him. He's a good kid who works hard and has all the qualities you look for in an offensive lineman. Smith was just another tight end on Baylor's depth chart who had caught six passes for 70 yards as a redshirt freshman in 2005. Smith scored his only college touchdown on a two-yard pass from Shawn Bell in a 37-30 double-overtime loss to Oklahoma in Norman. When former Baylor coach Guy Morriss suggested a switch to offensive tackle before spring drills in 2006, he didn't have to twist Smith's arm. "I'd rather be a fast anything than a slow something," Smith said. "I wanted to help the team any way I could, so I said, 'Why not?' " Nicknamed Smooth, Smith made a smooth transition to offensive tackle as he started every game as a redshirt sophomore in 2006. Despite playing just seven games last season, Smith received honorable mention all-Big 12 honors.

Photo Credit: College Press Box (Baylor)