Derek Smith
OLB from ASU
6-2, 232
All Sports Reports:
Smart player, who's stock is rising. Overshadowed by teammate
Derrick Rodgers, but may go higher in the draft. Started all 11
games for the Sun Devils, registering 55 tackles and four sacks.
A Pac-10 All-Academic selection with a 3.52 GPA in finance.
Sportsline Reports:
Considered an up-and-comer by scouts, Smith is an aggressive, hard-hitting
linebacker with a good combination of size
and speed. Last year, he started all 11 games and had 55 tackles, 10
passes broken up and four sacks. Smith
demonstrates good agility in space, shows above-average coverage skills,
and does a good job of covering the tight end.
He also shows sideline-to-sideline range and can string out plays and
chase down ball carriers. However, despite his
strong build, he does not have great size, does not have a lot of
experience rushing the quarterback, and looks a little stiff
at times in coverage. He also has a tendency to overpursue plays and does
not shed blockers as quickly as he should.
Nevertheless, he has some good athletic ability and can run, and has the
skills to play the strong-side linebacker position
on the next level.
ESPN Reports:
Notes: Snow Junior College (Utah) transfer. Started in 1995 and '96. Was
in on only 33
stops in '95 (with one interception) but really improved
after moving to strong-outside
linebacker in '96. Started all 11 games and had 55 tackles,
10 passes broken up, four sacks,
four passes broken up and one interception.
Positives: Fine competitor. Mean and aggressive. Does a
solid job of playing over and
controlling the tight end. Can play with leverage. Shows
the ability to run with and to cover
most tight ends. Getting better and has an upside.
Negatives: Is not quite as big as you would like. Lacks
technique on the pass rush. Looks
almost a little straight-linish at times. Can be slow to
shed blocks and to accelerate into
coverage.
Summary: Will have a chance as a strong-outside backer if
he continues to improve.