Elerson Smith 2021 NFL Draft Profile
Position: Defensive End
Height: 6’ 6 ¼”
Weight: 250 lbs
School: University of Northern Iowa
Pro Day Stats
Wingspan: 83”
Arm: 33 ¼”
Hands: 10 ½”
Elerson Smith 2021 NFL Draft Profile
Overview
Pass rusher Elerson Smith is a redshirt senior coming out of the University of Northern Iowa. He has been considered a dark horse prospect since completing his senior year. Through the NFL Draft process, Smith has shown his huge upside and potential, especially during the 2021 Senior Bowl.
Back in high school, Smith was a physically imposing 6’6″ and 190-pound athlete. He was on the basketball team, wrestling team, participated in track and field and was an all-state tight end and defensive end for Minneapolis South High School. Ultimately, his size and athleticism found him showcasing his talent at Northern Iowa.
The future Senior Bowl standout began his career as a redshirt. He took the year to work on increasing his weight in order to be able to compete against bigger linemen. Smith saw his first snaps in 2018, quickly earning a role as a starter. His first season resulted in 19 tackles (10.5 for a loss), seven and a half sacks, two deflections, and a forced fumble in just 13 games.
Smith’s 2019 season was even better, as he secured 63 tackles (21.5 for a loss), 14.0 sacks, five forced fumbles, four pass breakups, and two blocked kicks. The Panthers’ standout edge rusher elected to stay for the 2020 season. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a season was never played, sidelining Smith indefinitely. When the FCS reinstituted their football season, Smith had already declared for the NFL Draft and had opted out of the spring season.
Strengths
- Athleticism
- Size
- Plays at lower pad level for his size
- Versatile in different blitzing packages
- Speed
- Changes direction quickly
Weaknesses
- Below average strength
- Can be controlled by a single blocker
- Questions in stopping the run
- Below-average power rusher
- Trouble dealing with bigger blockers
NFL Fits: Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs
Draft Prediction: 4th-5th Round
Bottom Line on Elerson Smith
Elerson Smith is a large, versatile, and athletic defensive end who shined during the 2021 Senior Bowl. He excels as a speed rusher, as he is capable of quickly changing direction. Despite his athleticism, Smith still has his shortcomings. He is often bullied by larger players and can be a liability against the run. Overall, Smith does much better in blitzing schemes that allow him to avoid one on one situations.
Despite the question marks surrounding Smith, he is a player that has great upside with his tremendous size, athleticism, and skill. He also may end up benefitting from flying under the radar, as he could wind up being a role player for a contender out of the gate. If Smith were to find himself in the right situation, he could make an impact from day one.
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Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
