• Offensive tackles continue to be a top priority when it comes to NFL draft picks.
• This year’s NFL draft prospects who are offensive tackles rate highly compared with previous years’ OTs.
• NFL draft projections have Baylor’s Jason Smith as being among the first five players chosen.

Working at a company that produces electronic team sports, and football is just an example. We follow latest football news and trends, scandals and games and we would love to share our knowledge with everybody about our favorite sports, teams and players. In this article we want to raise your attention to a man some call “J. Smooth.”.

Can a Big Man Be Smooth?

Opinions vary about what Jason Smith’s nickname, “J. Smooth,” refers to. His coaches say that it comes from Smith’s ability to effortlessly slide off the line and lead sweeps. But Smith himself told the Dallas Morning News that the name represents “the way I try to live my life. I try not to do anything rough because when you start doing things rough, you start hitting bumps.”

A top high school player in Dallas, Smith opted to stay close to home and play his college ball at Baylor. Not known as much of a launching pad to the NFL, the Baylor Bears have had nothing but losing seasons since 1995. As a result, Smith flew under the radar of many pro scouts until taking a quantum leap during the past year. At the NFL scouting combine in February, Smith cemented his reputation with standout performances in running, strength, and athletic drills. He is seen as an exceptional talent at protecting the quarterback — the skill that makes offensive tackles so highly coveted.

Rebounding from Knee Trouble

Smith started his college career as a tight end but switched to tackle at the start of his sophomore year at the suggestion of his coach. Knee injuries slowed him during his junior year, but toward the end of the season Smith became a dominating force. In 2008, as a senior, he registered 96 knockdown blocks and 17 blocks that resulted in touchdowns.

Smith ended his college career with an exclamation point in a narrow loss to seventh-ranked Texas Tech. The 6 foot 5, 310 pound Smith had seven knockdowns, two touchdown-producing blocks, and a crushing downfield block as he denied his counterpart on the defensive line a single tackle. Smith told the Dallas Morning News, “I heard a guy say three years ago that you can’t get drafted high out of Baylor. My thing was, ‘Watch me.'”

An Outspoken Leader

Baylor’s freshman quarterback, Robert Griffin, became a big fan of Smith’s during the season. “He’s a good leader, outspoken, not afraid to say anything.” Smith has also done well academically, completing his undergraduate degree and earning high grades in his first semester of graduate school.

Eugene Monroe, whose stock has also risen dramatically in the last year. NFL.com senior analyst Pat Kirwan has gone as far as to say that Smith and Monroe will be the first two players taken.