Trey Smith Projected as a Top 25 Pick in Latest NFL Mock Draft

Tennessee offensive guard Trey Smith is viewed by most as one of the top prospects in the entire incoming senior class, with a multitude of NFL Draft experts and scouts praising the Jackson native as a potential 1st round selection. Earlier in the week, it was reported that Smith was given the highest grade of any upcoming college senior by the National Football Scouting Association, and the Director of the Senior Bowl said on Sunday that the former No. 1 recruit in the country was “one of the best prospects out there.”

The momentum towards Smith increased even more on Tuesday when Bleacher Report announced that it currently projects Smith to go in the 1st round of the NFL Draft; landing with the Minnesota Vikings as the No. 24 overall selection. “Guards don’t often warrant first-round consideration,” Bleacher Report wrote in explanation of its prediction for Smith. “Only special interior blockers hear their names called in the opening frame with just three selected there in the last five drafts. Tennessee’s Trey Smith has the skill set to dominate at the next level.”

Smith’s story is one of the most inspiring in all of College Football, as he fought tooth and nail to overcome health issues in order to fulfill a promise he made to his mother prior to her death. “When my mother was sick, I promised her that I’d receive my degree and my diploma and that I’d play in the NFL one day,” said Smith in January after making his decision to return to the University of Tennessee for his senior season public. “(Her death) completely crushed my world. From that point since, I’ve been on a mission to fulfill my promise to her.”

“(The importance of an education) is one of the things she always emphasized growing up,” said Smith in January. “You have to get an education. That is something that they can never take away from you. That is something that has always stuck with me.”

Smith is undoubtedly the Vols’ best piece up front, as he has dominated at the offensive line position since he first enrolled at Tennessee as a freshman. Smith is a former consensus 5-star recruit, and he has started for the Vols in every game he has been eligible to during his time in Knoxville — only missing several match-ups when he was dealing with blood clots in his lungs.

Smith has struggled with health issues since his sophomore season, when he was first diagnosed with blood clots in his respiratory system. He immediately started treatment and missed the rest of his 2nd season. The blood-clots returned prior to his junior season, but he was cleared to play shortly before his 3rd year in Knoxville began. All of the health issues that Smith has been forced to go through is partly why it came as such a surprise that he decided to return for his senior season, as he will lay his future on the line for the Volunteers next year — risking it all.

Smith’s final season as a Volunteer is currently scheduled to begin on September 5th, when the Charlotte 49ers plan to travel to Neyland Stadium for the season-opener. Tennessee would then head west of the Mississippi River to Norman in hopes of battling the Oklahoma Sooners on September 12th, prior to the Florida Gators getting the SEC Schedule started when they travel to Knoxville on September 19th. Smith will look to have a strong finish to his Tennessee Career and become the first offensive lineman to be selected in the NFL Draft for the Big Orange since 2014.