Alabama’s Irv Smith, Jr. is a clean prospect, and it won’t take long for him to become a top-tier tight end at the next level.
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 241 pounds
College: Alabama
A junior at Alabama this past season, Irv Smith Jr. had to bide his time before breaking through. He was stuck behind now-Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard during his freshman season and was in an offense that heavily featured the running backs and wide receivers for most of his sophomore and junior seasons. Smith Jr. put it all together in his final year and showcased his immense talent on the second-best team in the country.
Pros
First and foremost, Smith Jr. is a truly outstanding blocker. He is a legitimate asset both in run blocking and pass blocking situations. He rarely gets driven back, no matter if the defender in front of him is a bigger linebacker or defensive lineman. What allows him to be such a good blocker is his technique. He routinely squares up his body and engages very well with his hands.
While run blocking, he consistently does a great job of turning his body and manipulating defenders towards a specific angle in order to create holes for his running backs.
His effectiveness is not diminished when used as an H-back, a position he is comfortable and familiar with.
Smith Jr. is also a gifted pass-catcher who is incredibly smooth when reeling the ball in, whether it be with his hands or body. When thrown to in stride, Smith Jr. plucks the ball with ease and gets moving up the field. While he doesn’t always showcase it, he can churn out yards after the catch. He isn’t the most agile, but he knows how to evade tackles when needed.
He also has the important knack of finding soft spots within defenses’ zones. At the next level, that is a crucial component to playing the tight end position, as the best tight ends are quarterbacks’ primary safety valves in the middle of the field.
Against Tennessee during his sophomore season, he finds space in the middle of the field and secures a low pass while taking a hit from behind.
On that same drive, he caps off the possession with a score by recognizing the open space in front of him and slipping past the defense. It looks easy enough, but those spots will be there for the taking in the NFL. A tight end needs to quickly diagnose open spaces, which Smith Jr. does with ease and reels in the pass.
Cons
There really aren’t many negatives in Smith Jr.’s game, but if forced to pick one, it would have to be his ability to separate at the top of his routes. He can get swallowed up once his route is near completion if the defender has him squared up, and he doesn’t quite have the wiggle to evade close defenders, particularly on curl routes.
In this clip, he is unable to separate with either of his breaks.
Final Thoughts
While watching Smith Jr., it’s not hard to reminisce about former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten. Smith Jr.’s knack for finding holes within defenses, the way he smoothly catches balls in stride with his hands or body and his elite blocking in both the run and pass game, makes him a legitimate first-round prospect. He may not be drafted that high, but Smith Jr. will waste no time slotting into a starting lineup and becoming an asset for the team that drafts him.
It’s worth noting that Smith Jr. is currently just 20 years old and will be 21 for the duration of his rookie season.
There is plenty of time and room to perfect his craft even further.
