Film Room: Analyzing Braden Smith's Breakout 2020 Season
The 2020 season proved to be a great one for right tackle Braden Smith, as he finished the year allowing zero sacks and just one quarterback hit. The former Auburn guard has made the successful transition to tackle in the NFL, and he has become a dependable starter on one of the top offensive lines in the NFL.
As Smith heads into his fourth season with the Colts, it's hard to envision a huge statistical improvement for him. That being said, he still has some work to do to be among the league's best players at his position.
In today's film room, I look at Smith's breakout season in 2020 and what he needs to improve on going forward to become an elite player in the league.
The Breakout Season
The 2020 season was a great one for Smith, as he finally started to receive national attention for his high level of play. It is fascinating to look back and see the strides he has taken since entering the NFL as an offensive guard prospect.
The best way to quantify this improvement over the years is his play against JJ Watt. Watt is a surefire, first ballad Hall of Famer who has made a career off of destroying right tackles.
As a rookie in 2018, Smith gave Watt a couple great battles. Watt did get the better of Smith a few times in the playoffs though, and the rookie right tackle was on his heels for most of that game.
Fast-forward to 2020 and this match-up is completely different. Smith was able to stay controlled and balanced against the onslaught of moves from the future Hall of Famer. Smith's progression in this match-up alone shows just how far he has come as a player.
Smith's improvement was even more than that one match-up, though. He began to show nuance as a pass protector, rather than just being an athletic player still learning the proper steps in his drops.
This play shows what I'm talking about. Smith is explosive out of his stance and doesn't have to worry about the threat to the outside because of his quick set. Earlier in his career, Smith struggled with speed to the edge, but he has made huge strides in that area. Here, he forces the rusher to spin back inside and easily puts the defensive end into the ground.
That raw power and strength was still on display too. This is a well run tackle-end stunt by the Chicago Bears but Smith spoils it with his strength at the point of attack.
Khalil Mack twists inside while the defensive tackle gets good up-field momentum on the play. Mack is about to turn the corner for an easy sack but Smith is able to get his hands on the defensive tackle and drive the entire side of the line out of the way. Insane play from one of the stronger players in the league.
On top of all that, Smith was still a bulldozer in the run game. He can stand to improve with his consistency and finishing, but when he gets his hands inside on a player, the rep is over.
Smith paved the way on the right side of the line all season for the Colts. He's a great athlete in space and one of the better combo blockers in the league. This is where his background as a guard really helps the Colts on offense.
Still Room To Improve
While I don't want to take anything away from his breakout season, Smith's stats are a tad misleading. While he didn't allow a sack all year, he did allow 23 hurries, which was tied for 41st among offensive tackles in 2020.
On top of that, Philip Rivers had the second lowest time to throw in the league among quarterbacks last year with 2.39 seconds. I think it is safe to assume that Smith would have allowed at least a few more sacks and hurries if he had a league average, or worse, quarterback in this category (Carson Wentz was 23rd at 2.89 seconds last year).
So, while I acknowledge he had a great season regardless, I do think he is still a bit away from being a top tier right tackle in the NFL. So what does he need to improve on?
The biggest thing for me is becoming more proactive in pass protection. Smith is a reactionary player who likes to wait for the pass rusher to make their move first before countering.
In theory, this is great. For a tackle with short arms though, it can lead to some major issues with bull rushes and long arms. On top of that, he has late hands far too often and allows pass rushers to get into his chest on his worst reps.
Smith can typically overcome allowing players into his chest with his elite strength, but players like Khalil Mack, Romeo Okwara, and other top pass rushers did make him pay a bit last season.
Long-term, I'm not too concerned with this issue. Smith has shown the ability to improve in the NFL and has continually built off of his struggles and weaknesses.
If he doesn't become more proactive in pass blocking, there are still ways to be a successful blocker. He just needs to develop elite counters to survive the bull rushes and long arms. He did work on that quite a bit last year and flashed some excellent counters in moments.
Final Thoughts
Braden Smith was excellent in 2020 and fully arrived as one of the league's more promising, young offensive linemen. While some in Colts' Nation are ready to crown him as a Pro Bowl caliber player, I'm personally not there yet.
The NFL is dominated by pass rushers who win with the long arm and with bull rushes. Until Smith improves his reactionary counters (or becomes more aggressive) and stops exposing his chest with low hands, I just can't buy him being a top tier right tackle.
2021 is a big year for Smith. He is due for a contract by the 2022 offseason and could very well set the market at right tackle. He has all the traits to be an elite player in this league, he just needs to continue that upward trajectory and improve on a few more problem areas to hit his peak.
Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.
