Will the Bills look to add DT depth in the NFL Draft?
The Buffalo Bills reportedly met with LSU defensive tackle prospect Maason Smith on a pre-draft Top-30 visit ahead of this year’s NFL Draft. The Bills’ defensive tackle room needs some depth and could use an injection of some fresh young talent.
The starters are set with Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones, but they need to refresh their rotational guys. Maason Smith fits this mold and isn’t the only DT prospect Buffalo has brought in for a visit. I think the Bills will take a DT at some point in the draft — let’s see how Smith would fit in.
College Career
2021: Four starts and nine total games played. 19 tackles, five TFL, and four sacks
2022: No statistics, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first game
2023: Started 12 games. 28 tackles, 4.5 TFL, and 2.5 sacks
Smith’s production in college wasn’t great, but when you miss an entire season with a knee injury and enter the draft as a junior, the numbers make a little more sense. Smith was also suspended one game in 2023 for receiving an improper benefit before NIL rules were in place.
2024 NFL Scouting Combine
- Height: 6’5”
- Weight: 306 pounds
- 40-yard dash: 5.01 seconds
- 10-yard split: 1.75 seconds
- Vertical jump: 31”
- Broad jump: 9’0”
- 3-cone drill: 7.62 seconds
- 20-yard shuttle: 4.69 seconds
Maason Smith is a DT prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 8.46 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 279 out of 1808 DT from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/wLH7JLW8sX pic.twitter.com/rl7y7PZx1u
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 21, 2024
Smith turned out a solid grade in the RAS scoring system. He possesses great height and length for the position, and that makes him intriguing. His athletic testing wasn’t dynamic, but it is adequate for his position and size.
Highlights
3T Maason Smith #0
After watching multiple small shifty IDL it is nice watching a 300+lb 3T. The very first play of the watch is a picture perfect stack and shed with his 94th percentile arm length. #NFL #NFLDraft2024 #NFLDraft #CFB #LSU pic.twitter.com/prLIVA3AUR— Charlie Prio (@CharliePrio1) April 20, 2024
Look at the extension and lock-out that Smith performed on this offensive lineman. He made the tackle to boot.
Sleeper: Maason Smith, DT, LSU
(potential trade back candidate)pic.twitter.com/vl33ftMgKG
— Danny ‘Drip’ Marino (@DannyDripMarino) April 20, 2024
A series of plays showing Smith causing havoc in the backfield. Some things to pay attention to when watching are his length and extension, his stutter-step move to set up the blocker, and his effective “swim” or “arm over” move.
Much of attention at LSU pro day on big-3 but 1 other player NFL personnel kept talking up was DT Maason Smith. His size, movement got a lot of reaction from scouts.
Smith had 10 different LSU coaches. Could be better pro with stability. In @movethesticks top-50 Draft rankings pic.twitter.com/okC9J7PAwB
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) March 28, 2024
This is isn’t so much of a highlight as it is a representation of just how massive a human Smith is. It’s hard to look at him and not see a game-wrecker from the interior defensive line position. Smith also shows a smooth bag drill in this clip from his pro day.
Pros
- Outstanding size and length for the position
- Uses his length to get blockers off balance and gain advantageous angles
- His quick feet make him a viable option at numerous positions on the defensive line
- Excellent traits that need to be developed to reach his full potential
Cons
- Missed extended time with injuries in college
- He is tall and can sometimes lose the leverage battle and get knocked off balance if the blocker can punch first
- Not much production in college
- Will some time to find his niche and make an impact in the NFL
How Maason Smith fits with the Buffalo Bills
Smith is a likely Day 3 pick and remains one of my favorite DT prospects for the Bills to consider later in the draft. Smith’s traits, mainly his height and length, are very intriguing. I think Smith’s floor is a solid backup in the NFL, but his ceiling is one of the highest in this draft.
Maason Smith would fit what the Bills need perfectly. He can spend time refining his skills and still offer some juice as a backup. If Smith can reach his full potential the Bills could find a late-round gem to be a pillar of their defense for years to come.