Steelers Scouting Report: Michigan DT Mazi Smith
In this story:
The Pittsburgh Steelers will continue looking for defensive line depth, and could eye up a Big Ten star.
Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith is a former four-star prospect from Grand Rapids, Michigan. The senior defensive tackle burst onto the scene in 2021 as an integral piece on a stout Wolverines defense before taking his game to another level in 2022 where he was a consensus All-Big 12 selection. Fresh off a disappointing loss in the college football playoffs, I took a deep dive into the tape to get a gauge on Smith's skill set and figure out whether he's a player the Steelers should covet in April's NFL Draft.
Strengths
Smith comes with some versatility as he wears multiple hats for the Wolverines defense, aligning all over the front from a 0-tech all the way out to the occasional rep to a 5 tech alignment with most of his snaps coming from the defensive tackle position in the A gap. He was the number one player on Bruce Feldman's freak list with a 550 pound close grip bench, 33 inch vertical jump, 9-4 1/2 broad jump and a 6.95 3-cone time which would have been by far the fastest time for his position at last years NFL combine.
Smith has a massive frame standing 6-3, weighing in around 330 pounds. The unbelievable play strength shows up on tape, too. Smith has some serious knock back power in his hands to get even the best offensive lineman off balanced and driven into the backfield. Block deconstruction is a plus for him especially when he gets one on one matchups in the run game. Smith loves to deploy power moves such as a power pop and a push/pull move where he shows off impressive grip strength and slingshots blockers to the turf before turning his attention to the ball carrier on offense.
Couple that physically imposing play strength with stunning athleticism and you begin to understand the intrigue behind this player. Smith has the lateral agility to cause offenses all sorts of problems and he can be a serious factor against zone rushing concepts that are designed to hurt players built like him. He's also extremely disruptive when he's shooting gaps and has a good understanding of where ball carriers are headed on given plays. Fairly rare ankle flexion for a player with his size and that shows up when he's rushing further outside on the defensive line. He's difficult to reach block and works well to stay on the front side shoulder. There's an element of surprising quickness in his moves which have proven to be a very difficult thing for blockers to deal with.
Smith also comes with a much improved and growing repertoire of pass rushing moves for his position. In addition to the push/pull, he'll show off violent club/rip moves, the occasional long-arm stab and while his bull rush isn't always consistent, there are flashes of jaw-dropping reps where he's able to push the pocket sometimes as much as six-seven yards deep. Has a noticeable pass rush plan based on his opponent, the capability to sequence moves together and his counter rush game, while not a true strength, has improved in final collegiate season. His motor runs hot and he'll play through the whistle on every down. His skill set should play really well at the next level if your front likes to run a bunch of stunts where you can utilize his brute force as a crasher and quickness as a looper.
It's very difficult to block Smith in the run game and planning to do so with just one player is often times a futile task. Due to his impressive grip strength, he can guide run blockers where he wants them to go while disrupting the running backs path. His closing speed shows up more in the run game where he's frequently observed in the backfield. Likes to play a physical brand of football and seems to take a lot of pride in not just being disruptive on his own but freeing up his teammates to make plays around him.
Weaknesses
For a player with freakish athletic ability, he's awfully slow off of the football as his first step is well below average. This needs to improve at the next level to reach his ceiling, better snap anticipation could also aid his development in this regard. Smith is also a bit top heavy as he appears much stronger in his upper half than he is in his lower half which pops up when he's asked to just anchor down instead of being a penetrating force. Playing with better leverage is something that he needs to focus on moving forward as his pad level will rise, hurting his ability to occupy double teams especially when aligned as a nose tackle in three down fronts. He's much further along as a run defender than he is as a pass rusher as he's still very much a work in progress in that regard and his impact on passing downs comes and goes in waves.
There is certainly enough tools and traits to foresee Smith transforming into a three down player at the next level with time but the production as a pass rusher has been simply average. While he did generate a decent amount of pressures in college, he only accumulated two sacks per PFF. Prior to the bowl game, Smith plead guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge after he was pulled over for speeding and was found with a gun and several magazines in his car. It's reasonable to expect NFL teams to ask about the incident during interviews and gauge his maturity level.
Numbers to Note:
-Career totals: 70 tackles, 46 pressures, 2 sacks, 6.0 tackles for loss
-2022 totals: 38 tackles, 25 pressures, 1 sack, 2.5 tackles for loss
-27 total run stops in 2022, fourth among power-five interior defensive lineman (PFF)
-25 pressures in 2022, tied 25th among power-five interior defensive lineman (PFF)
-Monster outing against Ohio State in 2022: three pressures and a pair of run stops against a talented front (PFF)
Projection
Centered around his combination of awe-inspiring strength and superb athleticism, Smith is a prospect with plenty of untapped potential as he continues to refine his game. As it currently stands, he’s best fit as a nose tackle in three down fronts and has the capacity to dominate there so long as he improves his leverage and pad level while still also offering some juice as a rotational pass rusher.
Based on traits and his production, Smith carries a mid-late day two grade but could certainly get selected higher than that based on his impressive testing numbers.
Find great deals on Steelers tickets from SI Tickets HERE
Make sure you bookmark All Steelers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
Steelers Who Are On Their Way Out
Cam Heyward Uncertain About Future With Steelers
Steelers Get Max Value for Chase Claypool Trade
Mitch Trubisky Regrets Signing With Steelers
Steelers Miss Playoffs Over Controversial Penalty
Kenny Pickett Responds to Ben Roethlisberger
- Subscribe to the All Steelers YouTube Channel
- Follow All Steelers on Twitter: @si_steelers
