80 Prospects in 80 Days: East Carolina OL D'Ante Smith
Each day leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft, we will take a look at prospects that should be on the Carolina Panthers' radar. We will look at roughly eleven prospects per round to give a better idea of potential draftees beyond just the first round.
Here's our schedule for the next 80 days:
1st Round: Feb. 8th - Feb. 21st
2nd Round: Feb. 22nd - Mar. 6th
3rd Round: Mar. 7th - Mar. 18th
4th Round: Mar. 19th - Mar. 28th
5th Round: Mar. 29th - Apr. 7th
6th Round: Apr. 8th - Apr. 17th
7th Round: Apr. 18th - Apr. 27th
Prospect No. 50: OT D'Ante Smith
College: East Carolina
Height: 6'4" Weight: 290 lbs
Draft range: 4th round
Analysis: Smith is going to be a bit of a work in progress at the next level. He's got to iron out a few things such as his footwork, winning one on ones consistently, and be more efficient in the run game. All that said, Smith's potential is something that the scouts are going to fall in love with. He could be a hidden gem in the middle rounds of this year's draft.
Analysis from the NFL Draft Bible on Sports Illustrated:
Smith’s film is a bit of a slow burn evaluation. You can clearly see the talent but it takes a larger scope of film to really appreciate the talent he possesses. For as nice as the flashes are, what could be, is even more exciting for Smith. He’s not a finished product - nor should he be. Smith is the type of player who evaluators might buy low on but before you know it, you have well above the return on investment.
Balanced with active feet, Smith is able to climb to the second level and locate his target without any issue. There are some clean and translatable traits for Smith athletically. He moves with ease and is so comfortable navigating space. Once he is able to frame opposing defenders, he does a nice job creating outstanding power in tight spaces, with an extremely powerful lower half.
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