Originally Posted by :
Henry Louis "Trey" Smith III has gone through much adversity since high school but continues to battle. His mother, Dorsetta, passed away from congestive heart failure when he was at the University School at Jackson in Tennessee. While there, he excelled on the gridiron, winning the Mr. Football Award twice and garnering a first-team All-American and top-10 overall recruit rating nationally. The Volunteers kept him in-state, and he received second-team All-SEC, Freshman All-American, and SEC All-Freshman recognition as a 12-game starter (eight at right guard, four at left tackle). After the season, however, he was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs. Smith fought through that malady to return for the 2018 campaign but had to stop after seven starts at left tackle as doctors believed the clots had returned. However, additional study of those test results showed that doctors might have actually seen scar tissue from the previous clots. Smith worked hard in the offseason, losing 40 pounds, and he garnered 2019 first-team All-SEC honors after moving inside to left guard, where he started 12 of 13 games played. He was a first-team all-conference selection again in 2020, starting all 11 games at left guard for the Volunteers. He received the Jason Witten Award for leadership on the field and community service off the field, as well as the Fritz Pollard Trophy for extraordinary courage and community values. He accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl. -- by Chad Reuter
Overview
When putting together a guard built for an NFL power-based scheme, the blueprint would probably look like Smith. He's big, wide, strong, long and will flash an aggressive streak when he gets geared up. The lack of body control and technique he put on tape suggests it may be difficult for him to overcome his limited athleticism. An offseason of fundamentals work should help Smith become more efficient into first contact, which will really unlock his power at the point of attack. He's been one of the more talked about guard prospects over the last few years but might be in for a bumpy beginning as he adjusts to the athletes and technicians he will face as a pro. Strengths
Elite size and length for the position.
Frame is broad and thick.
Very heavy-handed with plus upper-body strength.
Able to throw a sack of bricks at opponent when he punches.
Has physical potential to become dominant with better technique.
Drive power to turn base blocks out of the gap.
Can bang and cave his down-blocks.
Knock-back pop on both first and second levels.
Good job of finding targets on his short pulls.
Sets a very firm anchor against bull rushers.
Has faced off against a variety of current pro defenders during career.
Weaknesses
Lack of range shows up in run game and pass sets.
Long first step, causing him to overshoot his landmark and lose positioning.
Needs better footwork and hand clinch for improved sustain.
Will cheat secure block to save time getting up to linebacker on combos.
Plays with hitch and outside hands with pass punch.
Below-average body control and recovery potential.
Loses balance and positioning against rush counters.
Struggles to redirect weight after biting on fakes in pass pro.
Slide quickness to cut off the gaps is a concern.
Has dealt with blood clotting issues.
Sources Tell Us
"I guess you don't like big, aggressive guards, Lance? I know he has things to work on, but they can be coached up. The (history of blood clots) is a much bigger issue than anything on tape for me." -- Personnel executive for NFC team
I’m so happy for @TreySmith73 going to the @chiefs. Finally. Chiefs Kingdom got an awesome player and fantastic human!!
Originally Posted by Halfcan:
Mitch Holtus came right out and said he looks as dominant as Will Shields.
I mean, that is some hype right there. Will is a HOFer. But, when given the chance to backtrack, he didn't.
Will Shields is the greatest RG to ever play in the NFL, in my homerish opinion.
Trey Smith would have been an early round pick, possibly even a first round pick, if he had never had the issue with blood clots.
A lot of us here, and a lot of media people, and experts on offensive linemen called Smith possibly the steal of the draft, with the proviso that he had no lingering health issue stemming from the blood clots. Anyone who watched his tape knew he was not a true 6th round pick.
I don't remember any direct quotes from Burt Verch about Smith, but he had to be extremely surprised that he was still available in the 6th round.
Originally Posted by kcbubb:
I love will shields and I’m pumped about trey smith and the thought of some power football. But Larry Allen has to be the best…
Will Shields played his entire career at RG, and Larry Allen did not. I believe that there were stretches of Allen's career where he played every position on the line except center.
Larry Allen is obviously one of the best offensive linemen in history, but he wasn't better at RG than Will Shields. Again, this is just my homerish opinion.
Originally Posted by ChiefsFanatic:
Will Shields is the greatest RG to ever play in the NFL, in my homerish opinion.
Trey Smith would have been an early round pick, possibly even a first round pick, if he had never had the issue with blood clots.
A lot of us here, and a lot of media people, and experts on offensive linemen called Smith possibly the steal of the draft, with the proviso that he had no lingering health issue stemming from the blood clots. Anyone who watched his tape knew he was not a true 6th round pick.
I don't remember any direct quotes from Burt Verch about Smith, but he had to be extremely surprised that he was still available in the 6th round.
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This. I remember specifically seeing a number of draft guys call him "steal of the draft"
He absolutely would've gone 2nd round at the latest if not for the blood clots. I think in his high-school class he was the highest ranked guard in the country.
He's gonna be starting by Halloween. Grabbing me some CEH in all my fantasy leagues lol. [Reply]
Originally Posted by mkp785:
This. I remember specifically seeing a number of draft guys call him "steal of the draft"
He absolutely would've gone 2nd round at the latest if not for the blood clots. I think in his high-school class he was the highest ranked guard in the country.
He's gonna be starting by Halloween. Grabbing me some CEH in all my fantasy leagues lol.
Starting from Halloween? It's looking likely that he starts from week 1. [Reply]
Originally Posted by mkp785:
This. I remember specifically seeing a number of draft guys call him "steal of the draft"
He absolutely would've gone 2nd round at the latest if not for the blood clots. I think in his high-school class he was the highest ranked guard in the country.
He's gonna be starting by Halloween. Grabbing me some CEH in all my fantasy leagues lol.
Originally Posted by mkp785:
This. I remember specifically seeing a number of draft guys call him "steal of the draft"
He absolutely would've gone 2nd round at the latest if not for the blood clots. I think in his high-school class he was the highest ranked guard in the country.
He's gonna be starting by Halloween. Grabbing me some CEH in all my fantasy leagues lol.
