Why Donovan Smith Has Everything to Prove in Buccaneers Training Camp

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' biggest acquisition this offseason was No. 1 overall draft pick Jameis Winston, but they also invested in some blindside insurance with their following pick (No. 34 overall): former Penn State Nittany Lions tackle Donovan Smith. His adjustment to the NFL carries repercussions not only for Winston but also for the entire team.

Last year, the Bucs' plans for left tackle blew up in their faces. They cut longtime tackle Donald Penn and signed former Cincinnati Bengals lineman Anthony Collins. While Penn went on to have a great season with the Oakland Raiders, Collins played so poorly that he was benched before the end of the season.

Discarding a reliable blindside protector for a player now out of the league left the Bucs scrambling this offseason. They will now depend on a rookie to rectify last year's miscalculations.

Like Penn, Smith is a behemoth, measuring at 6'6" and 338 pounds. The former Penn State lineman could be one of the league's biggest starting left tackles if he wins the job.

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

"If" may be the wrong word to describe Smith's track to the starting left tackle spot. Bucs general manager Jason Licht told USA Today's Jim Corbett that Smith was the Bucs' "second-best-rated offensive lineman." The Bucs drafted Smith in the second round of the draft with a starting job in mind. 

The obvious question is whether he can play left tackle in the NFL. He started on the left side for three years at Penn State, but that doesn't make him ready to keep edge-rushers away from Winston this season.

Head coach Lovie Smith and the rest of the Bucs coaching staff appear to be unsure as well. At the start of training camp this weekend, Donovan Smith lined up with both the first- and second-team offenses, per the Tampa Bay Times' Greg Auman:

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Bucs' first-string offensive line has Kevin Pamphile at LT, Garrett Gilkey at RG; rookies Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet with second team.

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 1, 2015"

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Tweak from yesterday on Bucs' first-team offensive line: Donovan Smith at left tackle instead of Pamphile. Gilkey still working at RG. ...

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 2, 2015"

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Third practice, third look for Bucs' first-team offensive line. Kevin Pamphile back at LT, Kadeem Edwards working as first-team right guard.

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 3, 2015"

Whereas Lovie Smith acknowledged Winston's readiness to assume the starting role at the start of camp, per the Tampa Tribune's Roy Cummings, it's clear that Donovan Smith will have to at least prove he is better than second-year tackle Kevin Pamphile.

Despite playing with the starting offense, Pamphile is marginally more experienced than Smith. Pamphile played 118 snaps in seven games last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Most of his time on the field came at right tackle toward the end of the season.

Bucs offensive line coach George Warhop told Pewter Report's Mark Cook they should have "doubled" Pamphile's snap count last season, highlighting both his fifth-round draft position and his switch from defensive end at Purdue. Warhop's comments praised Pamphile but betrayed an expectation for more refinement in his game.

Smith has more left tackle experience overall and is larger than Pamphile, who is 6'5" and 315 pounds. His apparent upside trumps that of the second-year lineman.

Smith's upside has drawn comparisons to other highly regarded NFL tackles. Former NFL scout Russ Lande, per the Baltimore Sun's Aaron Wilson, compared Smith to San Diego Chargers tackle D.J. Fluker, citing their mutually massive frames and good feet.

Smith's strong footwork is apparent in his college game tape. When on his game, his footwork is clean and balanced:

Courtesy of Draft Breakdown

Because he is so big and bends so well, defenders can't easily bull-rush or outleverage Smith once he engages in a block:

Courtesy of Draft Breakdown

Smith is vulnerable to speed-rushers, though, lacking the quickness to recover when a defender slips by:

Courtesy of Draft Breakdown

When focused, Smith is a great wall of a man, nearly impossible to push through and difficult to bypass. However, the biggest concerns surrounding Smith—and what he must overcome in camp—are the rumors of laziness that dogged him at Penn State and leading up to the draft.

Concerns over Smith's work ethic are not isolated. CBS Sports' Dane Brugler cited "several NFL scouts" who believed he had "lazy tendencies" even after a successful week of Senior Bowl practices.

Similarly, the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel's Bob McGinn quoted another scout: "I thought he was fat and messy and played lazy. He has had issues like that. He's got talent. It's more where you think he is as far as want-to." The scout also called Smith "selfish" and thought he had a "work-ethic issue."

Any word of a poor work ethic has yet to escape Bucs training camp, though. With so few opportunities to practice in pads, Smith's purported laziness may take some time to manifest.

Lovie Smith divulged no such problem regarding Smith after his first padded practice, per Auman:

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"Thought they held up," Lovie Smith says of rookie offensive linemen Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet in first day in pads ...

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 3, 2015"

Expectations are high for Donovan Smith, but he has the potential to fulfill them. What Smith must prove during camp is that he wants to live up to them.

Surely, Lovie Smith and the Bucs are watching their second-round draft pick closely after last year's debacle. They cannot afford to miss on Donovan Smith with Winston's well-being hanging in the balance.