Brandon Smith, reflecting on Penn State career, owns shortcomings
Selected with the 15th pick in the fourth round of last month’s NFL Draft, Brandon Smith is excited about his new opportunity. Joining a Carolina Panthers franchise counting on his productivity as a Will linebacker, the former Penn State product spent the weekend in his first NFL minicamp.
But, before he could finish his first session with the media at the podium, Smith’s time at Penn State was revisited. Specifically, coming off back-to-back seasons in which he started every game for the Nittany Lions (before opting out of the Outback Bowl), and in a career in which he played in every contest he suited up, why hadn’t he filled the stat sheet more?
“Everybody wants his stuff higher,” Smith answered. “But, for the most part when I was there at Penn State, I was just buying into the system.”
Within that system, Smith finished with mixed results.
Brandon Smith’s resume at Penn State
Smith finished second on the team in tackles behind Ellis Brooks in 2021, also notching 9.0 TFL and a pair of sacks. Those went along with five pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, and a forced fumble.
The effort followed a sophomore campaign in which Smith ascended into a starting role with the Nittany Lions. In that stretch, Smith finished fifth in tackles with 8.0 TFL. Also, he had a pair of sacks, an interception, a pass breakup, a QB hurry, and a forced fumble.
And, as a true freshman in 2019, Smith finished with 14 tackles, 2.0 TFL, and a quarterback hurry.
An On3 four-star recruit boasting size, speed, and freakish athleticism, Smith replied that his performances at times included opportunities to which he hadn’t capitalized. Grateful for his relationship with former Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry, now head coach at Virginia Tech, Smith said he intended to use past mistakes as chances to learn.
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“Coach Pry, he’s an awesome coach, awesome guy. I can contact him right now if I really needed guidance or anything that,” Smith said. “He put me in the situation that he felt was best for me and that would work out best. And there were some things where my production could have been a lot better based off of missed tackles. Or, there was a pick I dropped in the Auburn game.
“But, anything that was less than productive was on me. I accept that and moving forward, that’s not going to happen.”
Brandon Smith’s next steps
Now getting his feet wet in the NFL, Smith is set on what he’d like to become.
Expecting to be used as a Will linebacker, the position he finished his Penn State career playing and a spot head coach Matt Rhule affirmed as Smith’s future, the former Nittany Lion laid out the characteristics he views as essential to playing well.
“You have to be able to be put out in the space and be comfortable out there. As well as coming into the box and knowing that you’re going to have a safety coming down beside you. The odds of a lineman working up to you… you’re gonna be the main one getting blocked,” Smith said. “So you have to be able to do both and excel at both. You got to be able to run like a defensive back, flip your hips, bang receivers and run with them. As well as being a hard-nosed person and getting in there like a defensive tackle.”
Smith is expected to have time to acclimate to playing linebacker in the NFL while taking on special teams responsibilities.
