Tennessee Offensive Guard Trey Smith Given Highest NFL Draft Grade Among Seniors

When Trey Smith stood before the media and spoke the exact words that Peyton Manning did in the same room over 20 years earlier, he knew that the expectations would be high for him in 2020. Now the rising senior has earned the highest grade of any other senior for the 2021 NFL Draft; perhaps he made the correct decision when he announced that he had made up his mind and did not expect to ever look back.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer of the Monday Morning Quarterback obtained the National Football Scouting (NFS) grades for the rising senior class for the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft. The NFS ratings are the unofficial start to the preparation of the NFL Draft according to Breer, and carry some weight early on for NFL teams in the process. It is worth noting that the NFS Grades are only for rising seniors at the collegiate ranks, meaning rising juniors — while they reserve the opportunity to enter the draft — are not included in the grading process.

According to Breer, the University of Tennessee’s Trey Smith earned the NFS’ highest grade, earning a 6.91 — just short of a 7 — on the 1-10 grading scale. The grading key — which Breer also provided in his detailed report — shows that Smith’s score falls in the late first round and early second round category, just short of being safely in the first round according to the rankings. “Smith is a great story—he came back from a significant issue with blood clots in 2018—and a really, really good prospect,” wrote Breer. “If he’s what he was in 2019, and he was first-team All-SEC last year, he’s a good bet to go in the first round.”

Smith is followed by Wake Forest’s Carlos “Boogie” Basham Jr., Northwestern’s Rashawn Salter, Michigan’s Nico Collins, Ohio State’s Baron Browing, Alabama’s Devonta Smith, and others in the NFS grading results. Breer notes that while the grading results are very important in the first steps to prepare for the upcoming draft, they aren’t always fully accurate. Last season 2 of the 8 players that were given a first round grade ended up not being selected in the entire Draft, while 3 of the 8 were selected in the first 32 picks. 2 others were selected in the 2nd round, and one was taken off the board in the 3rd.

The rising senior was also thought to have an opportunity to be selected early in the Draft last season, but ultimately decided to return for his senior season — which he announced in an emotional speech in January. “I promised (his mother) that I would receive my degree and diploma and I would play in the NFL one day. I want to be 100 percent sure of my decision,” Smith said while in tears. “With that being said, I will honor my mother, Dorsetta Smith, I made up my mind and don’t expect to ever look back. I’m going to stay at the University of Tennessee.”

When Trey Smith uttered those words back on January 14th, Tennessee fans were taken back to over 20 years prior when legendary quarterback Peyton Manning stood in the same room and said the exact same words that Smith ended his speech with. “I’ve made up my mind, and I don’t expect to ever look back. I’m going to stay at the University of Tennessee.”

After Manning’s announcement, he would have a superb senior season, throwing for nearly 4,000 yards and 36 touchdowns. That spring he was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the 1st pick in the 1998 NFL Draft — Smith will look to have a similar outcome after his senior season is completed. The Jackson (Tenn.) native’s final season in orange is currently scheduled to begin on September 5th when the Vols will look to handle the Charlotte 49ers soundly in Neyland Stadium. They will then travel to Norman to face Oklahoma for what is expected to be one of the biggest games of the 2020-21 College Football season