Joel Klatt explains dropping Mazi Smith on top 50 draft players list

FOX college football analyst Joel Klatt recently released the newest edition of his Top 50 Players in 2023 NFL Draft list. Klatt made some changes to the 2.0 version of his list, and one of those was dropping Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith from the No. 31 player to No. 32.

“At 32 I’ve got Mazi Smith, the defensive tackle from Michigan,” Klatt said. “Mazi isn’t going to have the production necessarily, tackles for loss and sacks, as some other players, but that’s primarily because of the scheme fit at Michigan.”

Smith wasn’t a stat sheet stuffer during his career at Michigan, recording 48 tackles with 2.5 for loss and half of a sack last season. But his role on the Wolverines’ defense was crucial, which Klatt explained schematically breaking down the X’s and O’s.

“So they went to that Baltimore Ravens style of defense over the last couple of years, first with Mike Macdonald if you remember in their first Big Ten Championship year and then last year with Jesse Minter, same style of defense. Well what they ask is, and I mentioned it a little bit ago with DJ Turner, build a run wall. Well he was run wall, he’s not asked to rush the quarterback, he’s asked to build the run wall. Prove the front into the pocket so that hard edges can then rush the quarterback,” Klatt explained thoroughly. “So I’m not as worried about the fact that he didn’t have a ton of production, maybe like some other guys that we’ll talk about in a couple of slots, but I do like Mazi Smith.”

Smith’s role as Michigan’s run wall was one he served well, and clearly his peers agreed, as he was a consensus All-Big Ten First-Team selection in 2022 and won Michigan’s Defensive Player of the Year and Richard Katcher awards.

Klatt may not be worried about Smith’s production at the collegiate level, but is a little worried about Smith’s December incident with the law and how it will impact his draft stock.

“And I’m interested to see whether that incident with getting pulled over and he had a gun and still played, I’m interested to see what NFL teams will think about that. It was largely a clerical issue, he got his concealed permit class finished and before he actually had the paperwork he got pulled over, there was a pistol in his car, and that’s what that incident was,” Klatt concluded.