Andy Reid Texted Doug Pederson After the Jaguars Drafted Maason Smith: 'Great Pick'

The Chiefs' head coach is a fan of the No. 48 pick.

Feb 28, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Louisiana State defensive lineman Maason Smith (DL24) speaks at a press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

One of the Jacksonville Jaguars' top draft picks has a heck of an endorsement.

During the season premiere of 'The Hunt', which is produced by the Jaguars as a behind-the-scenes look at the franchise, the process in which the Jaguars made LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith was revealed. And in the immediate aftermath of the Jaguars' second-round selection was Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson revealing a compliment from a fellow head coach.

"Andy Reid said, 'Great pick, big dude.'" Pederson said to Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke.

Andy Reid: a fan of the Maason Smith pick pic.twitter.com/lsRUdrnts4

— John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) May 22, 2024

A former five-star recruit and the No. 20 prospect in the nation in the 2021 recruiting class, Smith appeared in nine games and started four as a true freshman. He earned Freshman All-SEC and Freshman All-American honors after 19 tackles, five tackles for loss, and four sacks.

"Hard worker. You know, obviously, he's got measurables. He's a long guy, but really likes to play. Practices hard, like I said, and he's a sponge and I think as Coach Nielsen gets his hands on him and Coach Garrett, his best days are ahead of him," Jaguars linebackers coach and former LSU defensive coordinator Matt House said during rookie minicamp.

After sustaining an ACL injury in the first week of the 2022 season, Smith returned in 2023 and started 12 games while recording 28 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and two pass deflections.

"It wasn't till the latter half of the season, maybe even into the latter quarter of the season." House said when asked when Smith started to look like himself again in 2023.

"But you know, coming back from that injury, that takes a while, and then he missed some time in training camp. But when we first got there, I mean, he was unblockable, the first spring and even into the first game before he got hurt.

"We'll let this baby fall to us, we are not going to chase anybody. We just have to decide go big or go small at 48. Masson Smith or ... You know what my vote would be. Go big or go home," Baalke says in the episode.

"Size matters. If it didn't matter, there wouldn't be weight classes in wrestling. There wouldn't be weight classes in UFC or any of the sports. Weight matters. Size matters. Length matters. And it does show up on Sundays."