NFL Draft Profile: Dallas Cowboys Select Michigan DL Mazi Smith
Mazi Smith
Michigan Wolverines
#58
Pos: iDL
Ht: 6026
Wt: 323
Hand: 0968
Arm: 3368
Wing: 8078
40: 5.30
DOB: 6/16/2001
Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI
High School: East Kentwood
Eligibility: 2023
One Liner:
Smith is a freakishly athletic and powerful interior defensive lineman capable of wrecking running games and providing interior pressure. Still, he needs to play with better leverage and show development in his pass-rush plan.
Evaluation:
Smith takes snaps all across the defensive interior for Michigan, including at 0-tech, 1-tech, 2-tech, and 3-tech. He was the top athlete on Bruce Feldman’s 2022 Freaks List for The Athletic. According to Feldman, Smith offers a rare combination of strength and agility. The senior is credited with benching a maximum of 550 lbs. and putting up 22 reps of 325 lbs. (the NFL Combine uses 225 lbs. for its bench press exercise). Smith jumps 33 inches in the vertical and 9'4.5" in the broad. He runs a 4.41 20-yard shuttle, which would’ve tied Thomas Booker for the best mark among interior defensive linemen at the 2022 NFL Combine. Smith runs a 6.95 three-cone, which would’ve only trailed Darrian Beavers, Aidan Hutchinson, and Travon Walker among all box defenders at last year’s combine. He also posts an 11.90 60-yard shuttle time. Smith possesses immense upper body and core strength to torque defenders. His physical traits are among the best in the 2023 draft class. Smith’s athleticism allows him to operate as a two-gap lineman, carry momentum and speed on stunts, flatten his rush angle slightly, and display unique quickness and suddenness at his size. The senior’s motor runs hot. He offers upside as a pursuit player because of his closing burst and ability to disengage from blocks and redirect to the football. As a run defender, Smith’s eyes see into the backfield and track the running back. He holds the point of attack against double teams and displays the grip strength to pull linemen off balance. As a pass rusher, Smith uses a push-pull, club, and bull rush moves. He’s also working on a one-armed stab to throw linemen off balance. The former four-star recruit battles through his half-man rush and gets his hands up for pass breakups when he can’t reach the quarterback. His hands are powerful and violent. From his junior to senior season, Smith improved his lower body composition and strength and significantly improved his hand counters. Unfortunately, Smith is often late off the snap and lacks an explosive first step. There are instances where he’s washed down the line, and he struggles to generate displacement against double teams. He has good but not elite arm length and deploys his hands late. Smith still needs to refine his arsenal of pass-rush moves and counters. His hands are powerful but lack purpose. The All-Big Ten selection’s pass rush stalls after his initial move too frequently, and it’s unknown if he’ll be a two-down or three-down player at the next level. Finally, Smith’s pad level rises quickly after the snap and leads to him consistently losing the leverage battle.
Grade:
3rd Round
Background:
Smith was a four-star recruit from East Kentwood High School in Kentwood, Mich. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 105 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 142 for Rivals, and No. 100 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 45th in the nation with an 86 grade out of 100. Smith amassed 81 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and forced three fumbles as a high school senior while leading his team to the Ottawa Kent Conference Red Division title and the state quarterfinals. He earned an invitation to the 2019 Under Armour All-American Game. Smith received All-State honors from The Detroit News as a junior and senior. He committed to Michigan over offers from Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan State, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Wisconsin, and other Power Five programs. Smith was born on June 16, 2001. During his time at Michigan, he earned two Academic All-Big Ten selections (2020 and 2021), a 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection, a consensus 2022 First-Team All-Big Ten selection, and the 2022 Michigan Wolverines Defensive Player of the Year award. Smith was arrested at a traffic stop on Oct. 7 and faced a felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon. He was in the process of acquiring his concealed-carry permit at the time of the arrest.
