Garrison Smith NFL Draft 2014: Highlights, Scouting Report and More

Garrison Smith, DE, Georgia (HT: 6’1 3/4” WT: 310 lbs)

Positives

• Proper play recognition, reacting quickly to what offenses do.
• Plays with consistently low pad level, which comes with his stature.
• Active with his hands and never stops moving his feet.
• Will stay square in attempts to anchor double-teams, allowing him to still play off the blocks.
• Nimble enough to spin away from blocks into pursuit lanes or holes.
• Disciplined in rush lanes, keeping quarterbacks in the pocket or keeping contain.
• Can create some congestion at the line of scrimmage as a run defender, wide-bodied.
• Relentless player, no stranger to making plays through high effort.
• Experience at multiple positions along the defensive line.

Negatives

• Not an explosive mover in any way.
• Doesn’t show high-end strength for a 3-4 defensive end.
• Very little playmaking ability, doesn’t change games.
• Doesn’t play with enough length, stout to a fault.
• Can be overwhelmed at the line of scrimmage on size and stature alone.
• Makes very little impact on passing downs.
• Too slow off the ball, poor anticipation of the snap and first-step quickness.
• Very little ability to split gaps and disrupt the backfield.
• Doesn’t press the pocket through power rushes, little power to his hands.
• Rarely gets his hands to balls at the line of scrimmage when he doesn’t get home as a rusher.
• Not an athletic pursuer of the ball, runs like a bigger player.
• Gives ground to double-teams and can be moved by solo drive blocks as well.
• Not powerful enough with his hands to control blocks, create space and shed.

Year	Team	Tackles	TFL	Sacks	FF	PD
2010	UGA	3	1	0	0	0
2011	UGA	22	3	0	0	0
2012	UGA	57	2	1	0	0
2013	UGA	63	10	6	2	0

Personal Notes

• Rivals.com rated him as a 4-star prospect and the sixth-ranked defensive tackle in the recruiting class of 2010. 
• Team captain in 11 games as a senior. 
• Three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection.

Ratings Chart

Graph made at nces.ed.gov.

Overall

The Georgia Bulldogs have been churning out defensive line prospects for some time now, but Garrison Smith doesn’t measure up to others they have had.

Smith just didn’t stand out in his opportunity as a senior after the departure of Kwame Geathers, Abry Jones and John Jenkins. He made very few game-changing plays and wasn’t an impactful player in any way on a down-by-down basis.  

Defenses who run a 3-4 should be interested in Smith as camp competition.

Draft Projection

Seventh-round pick or undrafted free agent.