For some college players preparing for the draft and the process of possibly playing the in the NFL can be a daunting task. There’s training, interviews, physicals and having your every move critiqued, analyzed and then reanalyzed as scouts, head coaches and general managers try to figure out if a certain player will fill a need and fit in on the roster. For former Marshall tight end Lee Smith, it’s a process he was ready for.
Smith’s late father, Daryle, spent six seasons in the NFL as an offensive tackle playing for the Cowboys, Browns and Eagles, going through every step of the NFL process providing his son with helpful insight about what was to come.
“I’ve been around NFL athletes my whole life,” says Smith. “There hasn’t been anything along the way I haven’t been prepared for.”
Smith woke up every morning with his father in the house and says he’s spent a lifetime preparing for the past several months, taking advantage of all the advice he received from not only his father, but his father’s friends as well.
“Football players hang around with football players,” says Smith. “I’m just trying to take what I’ve learned from these old guys and apply it.”
Smith also spent about an hour on the phone with former Marshall quarterback Chad Pennington discussing preparations for the NFL and how to handle himself through the draft.
“He explained to me what was to come and how to get ready for it and basically how not to screw it up,” joked Smith.
The former Thundering Herd tight end is kind of a throwback player. Smith stands 6’6” and weighs in at around 270 pounds and is not the guy you’re going to see split out wide in a spread formation. Lee says he’s not an H-back like the Redskins Chris Cooley. He’s a true Y-tight end who can have an impact in the running game and can contribute in the passing game.
“It’s not very confusing about what I can do and what I can’t do. It’s pretty simple to see how I can be successful in the NFL,” asserts Smith.
Smith isn’t worried about how he’s used at the next level, just getting a chance to play professionally and take care of his family by doing what he loves is an honor and a dream come true for the kid from Knoxville, TN.
“Just to have a chance to put on a NFL uniform and play at the next level is all that matters to me,” says Smith.
Like Marshall teammate Mario Harvey, the so-called experts are predicting Smith will be drafted in the later rounds. There’s also a pretty good chance if Smith is not drafted he would be signed as a free agent early next week.