Michigan football: Mazi Smith addresses roller coaster pre-draft process
Michigan football defensive tackle Mazi Smith is just over a month away from realizing his dreams of playing in the NFL. The former Bruce Feldman Freaks List headliner has not publicly displayed some of his athletic testing potential this offseason but did participate at U-M’s pro day on March 17.
Smith recorded a 29 1/2-inch vertical jump and 8-foot, 11-inch broad jump during his pro day, per Michigan. He tied for second in the bench press at the NFL Combine with 34 reps of 225 pounds. Other than measuring in, this has been the only bout of athletic testing he has done publicly this draft cycle.
Smith’s tape at Michigan is strong enough to warrant early consideration, but the athletic testing helps paint a picture of an upward trajectory.
“You start training like a track star as a big fella, it starts getting hard on you a little bit,” Smith said during a brief session with the media on pro day. “I’m good at football, man. I ain’t no 100-meter sprinter.”
He continued: “These coaches are getting paid a lot of money to know and be able to see (my) traits. Really, I’m trying to listen to what they say, what they see — and what they tell me I need to work on.”
Smith did not participate in the combine other than the bench press, citing “little tweaks” for opting out of the workouts.
Part of Smith’s pre-draft process has included answering questions about a gun incident this past fall. He faced a felony gun charge for carrying a loaded weapon without a permit, but later plead down to a misdemeanor. He says all he can do is tell the truth.
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“It comes up,” Smith said. “They are about to invest a lot of money. They gotta know the ins and outs of what you got going on.”
Most have Smith labeled as a potential second or third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Draft Network’s Damian Parson believes he is one of the better run defenders in the class.
“Smith has a two-down appeal right now as an NFL prospect,” he wrote. “His value as a run defender is high. If defenses continue to run the two-high safety sets next season, he will be valued well. He does not offer high-end passing-down value. There is some ability to impact quarterbacks with interior pressure but he will need to play quicker and more refined technically.”
NFL.com believes Smith will eventually be a plus starter at the next level. Analyst Lance Zierlein compares him to Dontari Poe, a former first-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs:
“Dontari Poe might be the physical and athletic player comparison for Smith, but more consistency from Smith is needed before he finds the Pro Bowl, as Poe did twice in his career. Smith’s blend of size and quickness is rare. He can punch and control a base block with relative ease. However, he struggles to match the initial movement of move blockers, which diminishes his effectiveness. He has space-eating potential but needs to become more consistent at taking on double teams and securing his gap. Smith’s size and testing could give his draft slotting some juice but he’s more of a Day 2 talent with exciting upside than a plug-and-play starter.”
