Za'Darius Smith

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Za'Darius Smith
refer to caption
Smith with the Baltimore Ravens in 2015
No. 55 – Green Bay Packers
Position:Outside linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1992-09-08) September 8, 1992 (age 29)
Montgomery, Alabama
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:272 lb (123 kg)
Career information
High school:Greenville
(Greenville, Alabama)
College:Kentucky
NFL Draft:2015 / Round: 4 / Pick: 122
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 1, 2021
Total tackles:219
Sacks:44.5
Pass deflections:7
Forced fumbles:8
Fumble recoveries:2
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Za'Darius Smith (born September 8, 1992) is an American football outside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Kentucky, and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

Early years[]

Smith attended Greenville High School in Greenville, Alabama.[1] Smith played basketball in high school and did not start playing football until his senior year.[2]

College career[]

Smith played college football for two years at East Mississippi Community College before transferring to the University of Kentucky.[3][4] In his two years at East Mississippi, he recorded 66 tackles and 11 sacks. In his first year at Kentucky, Smith started all 12 games and recorded 59 tackles and six sacks, which ranked seventh in the SEC.[5][6] As a senior in 2014, Smith had 60 tackles and 4.5 sacks.[7]

Collegiate statistics[]

Za'Darius Smith
Year School Conf Class Pos G Solo Ast Tot Loss Sk PD FR FF
2013 Kentucky SEC JR DE 12 24 35 59 7.0 6.5 1 1 0
2014 Kentucky SEC SR DE 12 26 34 60 7.0 4.5 2 1 0
Career Kentucky 24 50 69 119 14.0 11.0 3 2 0

Professional career[]

On January 17, 2015, Smith appeared in the 2015 East–West Shrine Game and recorded two combined tackles and one sack to help the East defeat the West 19–3.[8] Smith was recognized as the most valuable defensive player in the East-West Shrine Game.[9] Smith subsequently received a LB invitation to the 2015 Senior Bowl. On January 24, 2015, Smith appeared in the Reese's Senior Bowl and helped the North team defeat the South 34–13. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Smith was projected to be a third or fourth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the 12th best defensive end prospect by DraftScout.com.[10]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 4+1⁄2 in
(1.94 m) 		274 lb
(124 kg) 		32+5⁄8 in
(0.83 m) 		10 in
(0.25 m)		 4.83 s 4.66 s 7.42 s 29 in
(0.74 m)		 9 ft 5 in
(2.87 m)		 23 reps
All values from NFL Combine[11]

Baltimore Ravens[]

The Baltimore Ravens selected Smith in the fourth round (122nd overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. Smith was the 17th defensive end drafted in 2015. The pick used to draft him was acquired during a trade with the Detroit Lions in exchange for Haloti Ngata.[12]

2015[]

On May 8, 2015, the Baltimore Ravens signed Smith to a four-year, $2.76 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $483,152.[13]

Smith entered training camp as a backup outside linebacker. Head coach John Harbaugh named Smith the backup weakside linebacker, behind Terrell Suggs, to start the regular season.[14]

On September 20, 2015, Smith made his professional regular season debut during a 37–33 loss at the Oakland Raiders and made one solo tackle. On October 1, 2015, Smith recorded a season-high four solo tackles and made a season-high two sacks during a 23–20 overtime win at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith made his first career sack on Steelers’ quarterback Michael Vick for a six-yard loss during the third quarter and would also sack him on the next play.[15] As a rookie in 2015, Smith played 15 games with 30 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 2 pass defended.[16]

2016[]

In the 2016 season, he played in 13 games and started four. He recorded one pass defensed, one forced fumble, one sack, 20 tackles, and four quarterback hits.[17]

2017[]

In the 2017 season, he appeared in 14 games and started four. He recorded one pass defensed, one forced fumble, 3.5 sacks, 24 tackles, and 16 quarterback hits.[18]

2018[]

In Week 6 of the 2018 season, Smith recorded three sacks, which was part of the new team record 11 sacks, in a 21–0 win over the Tennessee Titans, earning him AFC Defensive Player of the Week.[19] He finished the season with career-highs with 45 combined tackles, 8.5 sacks, two passes defensed and a forced fumble. He led the Ravens in sacks and finished sixth on the team in tackles.[20]

Green Bay Packers[]

2019[]

On March 14, 2019, Smith signed a four-year, $66 million contract with the Green Bay Packers.[21] In Smith's debut as a Packer in week 1, he made 3 tackles and sacked Mitchell Trubisky once in the 10–3 win over the Chicago Bears.[22] In week 6 against the Detroit Lions, Smith recorded a sack on Matthew Stafford in the 23–22 win.[23] In week 8 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Smith sacked Matt Moore twice in the 31–24 win.[24] In week 12 against the San Francisco 49ers, Smith recorded a team high 6 tackles and sacked Jimmy Garoppolo once in the 37–8 loss.[25] In week 16 against the Minnesota Vikings, Smith sacked Kirk Cousins 3.5 times during the 23–10 win.[26][27] Smith finished the regular season with a career high 13.5 sacks.

In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Seattle Seahawks, Smith recorded 2 sacks on Russell Wilson during the 28–23 win.[28]

2020[]

In Week 3 of the 2020 season against the New Orleans Saints, on Sunday Night Football, Smith forced a fumble on Taysom Hill that was recovered by the Packers during the 37–30 win.[29] In Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, Smith sacked Matt Ryan three times during the 30–16 win.[30] Smith was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 4.[31] In Week 12 against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football, Smith recorded a strip sack on Mitchell Trubisky that was recovered and returned for a touchdown by teammate Preston Smith during the 41–25 win.[32] On December 21, 2020, he was selected for the 2021 Pro Bowl.[33] On January 8, 2021, he made the 2020 All-Pro Team second team.[34]

2021[]

On July 28, 2021, Smith reported to Packers' training camp with a back injury, and the team placed him on the Non-Football Injury list (NFI). He practiced sparingly during camp, but assured fans that he would be ready for the Packers' Week 1 game with the New Orleans Saints.[35] Smith played just 18 snaps during the 38-3 loss, behind second-year teammate Jonathan Garvin, and was called for a roughing the passer penalty that negated a Darnell Savage interception.[36] On September 17, Smith was placed on injured reserve with the same back injury that nagged him throughout training camp.[37] During the week of September 27, Smith underwent back surgery and was ruled out indefinitely. The Packers expressed hope he would be back at some point during the season.[38] On October 29, Smith posted on Twitter that he was back in Green Bay and "can't wait to get back on the field!"[39] Despite that, head coach Matt LaFleur cautioned that their staff were hopeful but would have to "get him back in the building and see where he's at."[40] On January 12, 2022, the Packers opened the practice window for Smith.[41] On January 22, Smith, along with fellow linebacker Whitney Mercilus, was officially activated off injured reserve ahead of the Packers' first playoff game in the Divisional Round against the San Francisco 49ers.[42]

Legal troubles[]

On September 29, 2019, Smith was cited by the Racine County Sheriff's Office for possession of marijuana and speeding in a construction zone. Smith and teammates Rashan Gary and Kingsley Keke were returning to Green Bay from Chicago when a deputy stopped them for driving 81 mph in a 60-mph construction zone near the intersection of Interstate 94 and Highway 20 in the town of Mount Pleasant. The deputy smelled the odor of marijuana in the vehicle and searched it, discovering three blunts and a THC vaping cartridge in a duffel bag in the rear of the vehicle. None of the men appeared to be high or had any drugs or paraphernalia on their persons when searched, but all three were briefly placed in handcuffs, questioned separately, and then released after Smith admitted to ownership of the paraphernalia, as well as to smoking marijuana before leaving Chicago. Smith cooperated with the officer throughout the incident, and hired a lawyer who entered a plea of not guilty on both charges.[43] On July 30, 2020, the Racine County prosecutor dismissed the charges.[44]

NFL career statistics[]

Regular season[]

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Total Ast Sck Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF FR
2015 BAL 15 0 30 20 10 5.5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
2016 BAL 13 4 20 10 10 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
2017 BAL 14 4 24 15 9 3.5 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
2018 BAL 16 8 45 26 19 8.5 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0
2019 GB 16 16 55 41 14 13.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2020 GB 16 16 52 35 17 12.5 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 2
2021 GB 1 0 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 91 48 227 148 79 44.5 0 0 0 0 0 7 8 2
Source: NFL.com

Postseason[]

Year Team GP GS Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
Total Solo Ast Sck SFTY PDef Int Yds Avg Lng TDs FF FR
2018 BAL 1 1 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2019 GB 2 2 7 5 2 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020 GB 2 2 5 3 2 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 5 5 13 9 4 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Source: pro-football-reference.com

References[]

  1. ^ Rankin, Duane (April 24, 2018). "Montgomery to NFL: The Latest – Za'Darius Smith". The Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  2. ^ Scouting the Cats: Smith making up for lost time as one of UK's defensive anchors
  3. ^ "UK's Smith takes unlikely path to stardom". ESPN. August 11, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  4. ^ Bean, Josh (December 19, 2012). "Greenville High product Za'Darius Smith signs to play football at Kentucky". al. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  5. ^ "2013 Southeastern Conference Leaders". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  6. ^ "Kentucky DEs Dupree, Smith form pass-rush threat". USA Today. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  7. ^ "Za'Darius Smith 2014 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  8. ^ "2015 East-West Shrine Game" (PDF). ShrineGame.com. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  9. ^ "Smith bound for Senior Bowl following MVP East-West performance". GreenvilleAdvocate.com. January 20, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  10. ^ "Za'Darius Smith, DS #12 DE, Kentucky". DraftScout.com. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  11. ^ "NFL Combine: Za'Darius Smith". National Football League. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  12. ^ "2015 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  13. ^ "Spotrac.com: Za'Darius Smith". Spotrac.com. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  14. ^ Downing, Garrett (August 7, 2015). "Ravens Release First 2015 Depth Chart". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  15. ^ "Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers – October 1st, 2015". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  16. ^ "2015 Baltimore Ravens Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  17. ^ "2016 Baltimore Ravens Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  18. ^ "2017 Baltimore Ravens Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  19. ^ Lam, Quang M. (October 17, 2018). "Albert Wilson, Todd Gurley among Players of Week". National Football League.
  20. ^ "2018 Baltimore Ravens Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  21. ^ "Packers sign four players". Packers.com. March 14, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  22. ^ "Packers D, Aaron Rodgers beat Bears 10–3 in opener". ESPN. September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  23. ^ "Packers get the calls, Crosby hits late FG to beat Lions". ESPN. October 13, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  24. ^ "Rodgers, Jones star for Packers in 31–24 victory over Chiefs". ESPN. October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  25. ^ "49ers start 3-game gauntlet with 37–8 win over Packers". ESPN. Associated Press. November 24, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  26. ^ "Za'Darius Smith:Game Logs". National Football League. December 26, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  27. ^ "Packers clinch NFC North with 23–10 win over Vikings". ESPN. Associated Press. December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  28. ^ "Packers hold off Seahawks 28–23 to reach NFC title game". ESPN. Associated Press. January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  29. ^ "Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints – September 27th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  30. ^ "Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers – October 5th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  31. ^ Gordon, Grant (October 7, 2020). "Buccaneers QB Tom Brady, Browns DE Myles Garrett among NFL Players of the Week" (in American English). National Football League. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  32. ^ "Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers – November 29th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  33. ^ Around the NFL Staff. "NFL reveals complete AFC, NFC rosters for 2021 Pro Bowl". National Football League. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  34. ^ "2020 NFL All-Pro Team Roster". Associated Press. January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  35. ^ Western, Evan "Tex" (September 12, 2021). "Za'Darius Smith expected to play for Packers in week 1, per reports". Acme Packing Company. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  36. ^ Western, Evan "Tex" (September 13, 2021). "Packers Week 1 Snap Counts: Rotation at OLB, no Eric Stokes, & Jordan Love's debut". Acme Packing Company. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  37. ^ Demovsky, Rob (September 17, 2021). "Green Bay Packers place OLB Za'Darius Smith on IR with lingering back injury". ESPN.com.
  38. ^ "Packers OLB Za'Darius Smith has back surgery, out indefinitely". October 2021.
  39. ^ "https://twitter.com/zadariussmith/status/1454102273030774786". Twitter. Retrieved January 22, 2022. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  40. ^ "https://twitter.com/wisn_watson/status/1454195862599569408". Twitter. Retrieved January 22, 2022. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  41. ^ Western, Evan "Tex" (January 12, 2022). "Packers' Za'Darius Smith and Billy Turner return to practice on bye week Wednesday". Acme Packing Company. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  42. ^ "Packers activate Za'Darius Smith, Whitney Mercilus off injured reserve ahead of divisional round". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  43. ^ Vielmetti, Bruce (November 8, 2019). "Body cam video shows cooperative interaction between Packers' Za'Darius Smith and deputies". JSOnline.com. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  44. ^ "2019FO001104 Case Details". wcca.wicourts.gov. Retrieved September 27, 2020.

External links[]

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