Andre Smith, OT/OG, Alabama

Name: Andre Smith
Position: OT/OG
School: Alabama
Height: 6036 E
Weight: 340 E
40 Time: 5.2 E

Athleticism: 6.0
Andre shows a mix of elite athleticism and merely average athleticism. His lateral quickness is a huge concern – I don’t think he moves well enough to the side to play left tackle unless he becomes a great technician. But he has excellent quickness moving forward and very good balance. He does eventually end up overextending and losing balance, but rarely does it happen. I’m not sure how to rate his lateral slide for athleticism, but it seems like it would be a fluidity (or change-of-direction) issue.
Quickness: 7.0
Balance: 6.0
Fluidity: 5.5

Physical Talents: 7.0
340lb men have no right to move up field so quickly. I would not be surprised if Andre Smith owns a better ten-yard dash time than any OT within 25lbs of him. Looking at Smith critically, the only reason he’s an elite player is his immense physical talents. He’s as strong as you’d expect a 340lb tackle to be, and moves extremely quickly. Few tackles under 6’7 can work over 340lbs, so his body type is a concern, but I will address that later.
Body Type: 6.5
Strength: 7.0
Explosion: 7.0

Polish: 5.5
You’ll hear a lot of concerns about Oher’s intelligence leading up to the draft. And you’ll hear very few about Smith. But, honestly, Smith has more to prove. He sometimes looks lost on the field on passing downs, making me wonder if he understands the playbook fully. More concerning, he plays with terrible hand use and often blocks just be throwing his weight into someone else. He does show good instincts and usually adjusts to blitzes well.
Understands Playbook: 5.5
Proper Technique: 5.5
Instincts: 6.0

Competitiveness: 6.5
When I said Smith only gets by on his physical talents, I lied. Smith’s competitive nature also helps him a lot. There’s no doubt that Smith wants it badly when he is on the field. Smith is tough, he gives good effort for a player his size, and seems to step up in some clutch situations. But he can be inconsistent with his effort, though it’s fairly infrequent and outweighed by his excellent effort on other plays, and when a clutch situation requires passing (such as the 4^th quarter of the SEC Championship) he struggles for the same reason he struggles period in pass protection – poor technique and slide. It isn’t a desire of want… but a desire of can.
Toughness: 6.5
Consistency: 6.5
Clutch Play: 6.0
Effort: 6.5

Football Character: 5.5 – At his weight, I’m concerned about his work ethic. He’s strong, but he’s carrying a lot of weight that does nothing to enhance his game.
Personal Character: 5.5 – Getting suspended for talking to an agent, and the rumors that he wasn’t JUST suspended for that, makes me very concerned about him.
Durability: 6.5 - He’s been durable despite a shorter and… stubby frame.

Play Strength: 7.0 – Great drive-blocker who mauls defenders.
vs Speed Rush: 5.5 – He’ll struggle with speed rushers. 34 LBs and 43 RDEs will give him a lot of problems. He’s athletic enough to improve, but that will likely mean cutting weight and improving hand technique.
vs Bull Rush: 7.5 – Futile to attempt to outmuscle him, I didn’t see anyone do it successfully with any consistency.
Footwork: 6.5 – Smith isn’t always quick, but he does a good job keeping his feet underneath him.
Hand technique: 5.5 – Smith doesn’t use his hands well at all. No real punch, latches on, sometimes eschews hands altogether and just rolls into defender. Not very good.
2nd level blocking: 6.5 – Excellent at getting to the second level, very good at locating linebackers when he gets there.
Quickness off snap: 7.0 – I’d be surprised if anyone else is as quick off the LOS as Smith.
Proper Balance: 6.0 – Andre sometimes gets high in his stance if asked to sustain a block for a long time, but generally has good balance.
Lateral Slide: 5.5 – I’m stuck thinking of Zoolander when I watch Smith – he can’t move left. His problems against speed rushers are due to his poor lateral slide and poor technique.
Errors: 5.5 - Not a big penalty getter, but he makes assignment errors that he really shouldn’t.

Summary: Smith is a player who will make some team very happy, assuming he doesn’t lose the battle with his weight. He’s tremendously strong in his lower body, very explosive, and tough. Unfortunately, that’s the pedigree for a great guard or maybe right tackle, not a great left tackle. Even a run-oriented team will need to go pass-happy at times, and Smith with struggle mightily in those situations. Despite all the talk you hear about OTs being the safe pick, Smith is not safe at all – it’s a big risk hoping that Smith will play OT, and a considerable risk that Smith can manage his weight. I feel Smith is worth the risk to the right team as a top guard, but not as a tackle. It should also be noted that Smith is a great player in a man scheme, but projects as rather average to a zone scheme.

Final Grade: As an OT: 6.3 CC – As an OG: 7.1 CC

Games Scouted: Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky

Note: While the college football season may be over, I will likely watch more games of Alabama between now and draft time, and reserve the right to adjust the grade of Smith until he is drafted.

Edit: Changed OG grade when I realized it was far too low. If Smith is put at guard, he will be among the best guards in America within a couple years.