NFL Draft profile: Georgia’s Roquan Smith is perfect linebacker in today’s spread NFL
Roquan Smith won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker and the Georgia product is poised to enter the NFL with the potential to transform the position.
One of the best players in college football last season was Georgia middle linebacker Roquan Smith. The Bulldogs won the SEC and made it to the National Championship Game in large part because of his leadership on and off the field and his ability to make plays all over the field.
Smith figures to hear his name called early in the 2018 NFL Draft when it begins on Thursday and whoever drafts him will have a player that can be the leader of their defense and team for the next decade.
Not only does he have all the physical skills and attributes teams look for, but he has the character and intangibles to be one of the best overall players in the entire league. If your NFL team is fortunate to get Smith, here’s the type of player you can expect to get on Day 1 when he reports for rookie minicamp.
Roquan Smith, linebacker, Georgia
The Butkus Award winner is a future captain and face of a defense. Smith is the best leader among the defensive prospects in the draft who also possesses high football intelligence and instincts for the position.
A converted wide receiver, Smith is ultra-athletic who can make plays sideline-to-sideline and in coverage defending backs and receivers in zone coverage.
The 6-1, 236-pound Smith is a little smaller than some teams may prefer which could force him to move to the weak-side in some schemes. But teams that are drafting him this high are likely to love him in the middle and keep him there. In today’s NFL where offenses are spreading out defenses and speed is more vital than it has even been before, Smith can represent the new prototype for the position.
Overall, Smith is going to be a tackling machine who is just beginning to realize how great he can be. Smith has the potential to be a perennial Pro Bowler.
Draft Projection: Top 6-10