Maason Smith lands in 1st round of 2024 NFL Mock Draft
LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith was hurt early in the opener against Florida State and missed the whole 2022 season. After recovering from a torn ACL, expectations are high for the former five-star prospect.
He’s now popped up on some preseason lists and NFL Draft boards. Smith landed at No. 14 in ESPN analyst Jordan Reid’s 2024 NFL Mock Draft released this week. He was the only Tiger who made the list.
Smith was a 2021 Freshman All-American. He racked up 19 tackles, 5.0 tackles for a loss and 4.0 sacks in nine games played. He could make those numbers look like child’s play now that he’s healthy.
Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels was at the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University last month. Daniels said Smith is determined this offseason.
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“It’s crazy,” Daniels said. “I gotta tell him to stay away from me (in practice). But I’m happy to see him out there. I can only imagine how hard it was for him sitting out and watching us play each game and he’s not out there helping us and contributing to the win. I know he’s in a better headspace now. Just going out there and having fun at the end of the day. He knows what he wants to accomplish this year and this season. I have a great feeling he’s gonna do it.”
“You would be so surprised how smart Maason is,” fellow defensive lineman Jacobian Guillory added this spring. “Maason knows how to play the run, how to do the pass. He can go to the end, be the 3-technique, he can go to nose. Him knowing how to do all of those things, one by one, it kind of makes him an on-field coach. Because he will see something before I even see it.”
The next time Smith is on a field, Florida State will once again be the opponent.
As a member of the Class of 2021, Smith was a five-star recruit out of Houma (La.) Terrebonne, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the state, No. 4 defensive lineman in the class and No. 11 overall prospect in the class.
