The latest addition to Minnesota’s 2022 draft class is defensive lineman Anthony Smith. 247Sports had this to say about him:
“One of the more intriguing defensive line prospects headed to the Big Ten Conference is Anthony Smith, a Minnesota pledge from Shippensburg (Pa.) Area High School. A legitimate 6-foot-5-plus and around 280 pounds, Smith… who moves up from a high three-star 87 to a four-star 90, is another player on Top247 watch… His size and athletic profile suggest immense potential in the long term.”
Smith had offers from multiple Big Ten schools, including Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State. In addition to football (where he also played tight end as a junior), he’s a member of the Shippensburg basketball and track and field teams. In an interview with 247sports, Shippensburg coach Eric Foust mentions that Smith is also a decent tennis player and snowboarder. He added that Smith “moved to our district as a ninth grader and he came here as more of a basketball kid than a football kid. But as he’s developed more and more, he’s become the football player… I don’t know if I’ve ever coached a kid that has grown up, matured, and become a leader for his teammates the way that Anthony has. He’s a lot of fun to be around and is very charismatic.”
Different sources list Smith as being 6-5 to as tall as 6-7. At about 265 pounds, every scouting report mentions how he stands out playing against fellow teenagers. Watching his highlight tape is indeed like watching high school games with a random adult thrown in.
Minnesota has to replace all four starters on the defensive line this season. Smith, primarily an edge rusher in high school, will have an outside chance to play at some point this season.
