Za'Darius Smith, DE - 122nd overall pick

Za’Darius Smith, Kentucky, #94

Height	Weight	Arm	Hand	10 Yd	40 Yd	Bench	Vertical	Broad	3-Cone	Shuttle	60 Yd Shuttle
6-4	274	32 5/8	10	1.76	4.85	23	29	113	7.42	4.66	12.65

Game Film Evaluated:

Miami (OH) (2013)

Mississippi State (2014)

Pros: Very good use of his hands, good use of pass rush moves. Can drop his shoulder and turn the corner. Finds the ball well. Really good football player who finds the ball quickly, uses good technique to defeat blocks and no wasted motion to get to the ball…He will pursue plays downfield showing a good motor and effort. Can penetrate a gap and finish the play…Not a hard hitter but gets the job done wrapping up…Plays with strong hands and arms…Despite lacking elite quickness, he finds a way to drop his shoulder and get the corner turned on a tackle toward the QB… What he lacks at the snap, he makes up for as he does have a burst to close on the QB…Played RDE as a 5-technique in Kentucky’s base 3-4 front.

Cons: Not elite burst. . Just not an elite athlete to be a speed rusher. Need to see him handle the run more and might fit best as a strongside DE. Struggles to get off blocks if the initial move isn’t successful and can be easily contained at the LOS. He is consistently one of the last lineman off at the snap… Needs to do better job finding the ball when engaged with a lineman.

Shriners Game Report: Za’Darius Smith, Kentucky. I’d like to see Smith gain a bit more weight than his current 265, but he has a solid body and is a more aggressive player than his ballyhooed teammate. He also has excellent quickness to his pass rush. This morning he made an excellent, inside swim move, to beat his blocker badly to the inside. It was breathtaking. And even though a bit undersized he is not afraid to go head-to-head with 300 lb. blockers. Smith was the game’s most disruptive defender, using a combination of burst off the snap and long arms to slip past offensive tackles and harass the quarterback. Smith doesn’t possess the explosiveness as his former teammate and projected first round pick “Bud” Dupree, but he showed a quick first step and balance, a spin move and an effective bull rush in this game and forced an INT. For his efforts, he was named the Defensive Player of the Game. ZA’DARIUS SMITH/DE #94 He got a call late in the week to join the Senior Bowl for their week of activities, pretty much replacing his higher profile teammate BUD DUPREE. I think he’s a more productive player than DUPREE, and he sure looked it in the Shrine Game. He only got credit for 2 tackles, including 1 sack. But he also had a QB hurry which led to a CHICKILLO sack. SMITH proved he’s a good athlete, with a high rev motor and can bring the pressure. This guy did not coast because of the SR Bowl invite. That impressed me. - From GBN Report & CBS Sports.

Senior Bowl Report: Smith opened a few eyes last week with his impressive MVP performance at the East-West Shrine Game and he is certainly building upon that momentum with his play in Mobile. The 6-foot-4 5/8, 270-pound pass rusher has flashed the quickness, burst and athleticism that scouts covet in nickel edge defenders. Smith is not only capable of bending and bursting around the corner, but he is slippery enough to win with nifty inside maneuvers against overaggressive blockers. In addition, Smith displays a high-revving motor that will allow him to rack up garbage sacks on extra-effort plays off the corner. With Smith dominating his peers on the all-star circuit, the Kentucky standout's stock is poised to soar in pre-draft meetings in a few weeks. – From GBN Report & CBS Sports.

Summary: Za’Darius Smith profiles as a 4-3 defensive end capable of rushing the passer who has a chance to develop into an all around defender. After the college football season, Smith was an early 4th round player. However his stock has improved thanks to the all-star games a full round into the 3^rd round. He is likely a rotational rusher as a rookie but would not surprise he if he develops into a starter within two years. He projects to fit best as a strong side defensive end on passing downs initially in a 4-3 scheme.