From now until the 2023 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on LSU DL Maason Smith.
#0 MAASON SMITH/DL LSU – 6051, 306 POUNDS. (RS – SOPHOMORE)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Maason Smith | 6051/306 | 8 1/2 | 35 | 84 5/8 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 5.01 | 1.75 | 4.69 | 7.62 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 9’0″ | 31 | DNP |
THE GOOD
– Elite height, weight, speed traits you look for in a defensive lineman
– Athletic ability is evident at first glance and his agility is wild for a guy his size
– Initial burst and short-arm quickness are very impressive
– Can play up and down the DL (lined up as 0-5i for different games)
– If he gets his hands on you first, you’re going backwards or redirected quickly
– Run defense recognition skills definitely improved in 2023
– Great upper body power to knock people back on initial contact
– Rip move wins consistently to beat guys
– Arm-over move is his bread-and-butter in pass rush sets and he wins often
– Lower body strength to push guys into the pocket and anchor on running plays
– Very fast feet for a defensive lineman and he’s able to flow to the ball quickly on run defense
– Doesn’t miss tackles very often and is good at finishing plays
– Long arms to direct opponents and cause havoc on the interior when bull rushing
THE BAD:
– Significant knee injury in 2022 (torn ACL) caused him to have a lack of college playing experience that showed in his development in both run defense and pass rushing
– Needs to continue adding and working on different pass rush moves
– Counter moves when outside shoulder isn’t openly presented to him
– His feet can stall out or lose drive when he doesn’t make first contact
– Plays too high with his pad level and can be redirected toward combo blocks
– Needs to plant his lower body better in run defense situations
– Can look confused at times with gap assignments in run defense situations
– Driving his long arm to move in unison with his body and not getting stuck on the shoulder pads
– His position at the NFL level will probably primarily have to be as 3-5i guy as he gets moved too easily off his spot in the 0-1i positions
BIO:
– Born on 10/13/02 (21 years old)
– 939 snaps total in 3 seasons (only eight snaps in 2022) with 596 snaps in the 3-5i DL position
– Started 20 games for LSU and accumulated 47 total tackles, 39 pressures, 25 run stops, 9.5 TFL’s, 6.5 sacks, four missed tackles, two PD’s according to PFF & College Football Reference
– 2021 Freshman All-America team (Football Writers Association of America)
– 2021 Freshman All-SEC team
– Torn ACL in first quarter of 2022 season-opener against Florida State
– Smith was suspended for one game at the start of the 2023 season after the NCAA determined he received an “improper benefit” (participating in autograph signing prior to NIL)
– No. 17 on 2023 Bruce Feldman’s The Athletic Freak List
– Five-star rating by both 247 Sports and Rivals coming out of HS
– No. 1 defensive line prospect in HS according to Rivals
– Amassed over 200 tackles, 60 tackles for loss and 26 sacks at Terrabone HS in Louisiana
TAPE BREAKDOWN:
Maason Smith is a college prospect who has gone through a lot in his three seasons at LSU, where he played on their defensive line. He had the hype and pedigree coming out of high school as being one of the top defensive line prospects in the country. He displayed a promising future after a freshman season there where he flashed a ton of upside and freaky potential for a guy his size. He is a ‘walk off the bus’ kind of player at 6-foot-6, 315 pounds, with not a lot of body fat on him. Then in the first game of the 2022 season, he jumped in the air after a play was over against Florida St. in the first quarter and landed awkwardly on the field. He was done for the season after tearing his ACL. He came back in 2023 and played all but two games. He may not have had the bounce-back season that he and others wanted him to, but he still showed plenty of optimism on film that will undoubtedly have NFL evaluators looking to project him potentially to their team.
There is a really interesting story about Smith during a period of time during 2020 where the local gyms near where he lived all shut down due to COVID restrictions. His weight went up to 340 lbs. He decided to make a change before he went to LSU and went on an intense exercise and diet regimen (shifted to a keto diet). He came to LSU within a few months of starting these new changes and arrived at 292 lbs. His playing weight this past season was 315 pounds due to him putting on more muscle mass, but his coaches and teammates rave about his work ethic, not getting down when he tore his ACL and really taking the recovery process very seriously. Smith has the dedication and mindset to continue working hard in the NFL from every article I saw with interviews of him, his coaches, and teammates talking about him.
Smith has the ability to display high level, short-area quickness when he comes off the ball. That is something you consistently see when you watch him play. He explodes out of his stance from his lower body up through his core. His biggest issue once he’s upright is playing too high with his pad level struggling to disengage if offensive linemen get their hands on him. However, he wins frequently with swim, arm-overs and club moves. He doesn’t use a long-arm move often, but when he does, he can drive opponents back with his superb arm length and great upper body strength. You see it in clips like this where he utilizes some of these moves to not only beat them outside, but inside as well.
He is No. 0, the DL, in all of these clips:
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 16, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 16, 2024
Guys this size just aren’t supposed to be able to move like this. His initial burst out of his stance is impressive, and he has great pop in his hands to rock opponents into anchoring or getting them off balance. An issue you do see with Smith is that he doesn’t consistently keep his feet moving to drive defenders if they make first contact. He too often relies on his length and power to disengage. This can also nullify his bull rush ability if opponents can just maintain from his initial surge. It also allows him to be redirected and be double blocked by linemen. Here is an example (No. 0 at the DL position in this clip) of this.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 16, 2024
Then there is the counterpoint where Smith will just disregard the double team and effort his way to the quarterback using overwhelming power.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 16, 2024
Smith has improved over his time at LSU with run recognition, fits, gap integrity and resetting the line of scrimmage. He uses his arm over move well to beat blocks and get to the runner. There are also times when he can get stalled if he doesn’t make first contact. He will need to improve on this aspect of his game to have faster strike timing with his hands and counters for guys, instead of overly relying on his arm-over move. He really moves down the line quickly, though, and typically gets in the backfield in a hurry.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 16, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) February 16, 2024
Smith will be a guy that you have to plan for as a team evaluator to what you want him to be. You also have to weigh the traits vs. production aspect, because unfortunately, there isn’t a ton of experience for him due to injury. He also didn’t have the most gaudy analytical stats in college. However, there are a lot of traits and abilities to be really excited and optimistic about, especially if you have a defensive line coach that knows how to develop and teach techniques. Smith has the rare athletic tools, size, power and drive to be great. He played in a 4-3 defensive front at LSU, but I believe he will be best utilized as a 4-5i DE in a 3-4 front. He has the tools to play in multiple spots on the line if he needs to.
CONCLUSION:
It really comes down to him adding more moves to his pass rush repertoire, having counters when initial moves fail or stall, strike timing, and continuing to gain experience. He’s also still a really young prospect too, so there is a ton of room for growth. I could really see a team like the Steelers being enamored with his potential, and as Mike Tomlin often likes to remark, “there is a lot more meat on the bone.” He is built like a clone of Stephon Tuitt coming out of Notre Dame physically and athletically. However, he doesn’t have the consistency, production or experience that Tuitt did. Having Smith linked up with a DL coach like Karl Dunbar would do wonders for his growth and development.
When looking for a player comparison for Smith, it was a difficult endeavor to accomplish. However, I see a lot of similarities to a 2023 draft prospect from last year, Gervon Dexter Sr. He has a similar athletic profile, traits and upside. A guy who was difficult to peg last year but flashed a lot of ability in college, if he could put it all together. He came in and had a really positive impact as a rookie for the Chicago Bears. Depending on what team Smith goes to, I could see a similar trajectory for him. I also think he would benefit a lot from being a rotational player initially before being anointed a starting role.
Projection: Day 2
Depot Draft Grade: 8.0 – Future Quality Starter (Third Round)
Games Watched: at Missouri (2023), Wisconsin (2023), vs. Florida (2021), at Kentucky (2021)
