Originally Posted by :
Henry Louis "Trey" Smith III has gone through much adversity since high school but continues to battle. His mother, Dorsetta, passed away from congestive heart failure when he was at the University School at Jackson in Tennessee. While there, he excelled on the gridiron, winning the Mr. Football Award twice and garnering a first-team All-American and top-10 overall recruit rating nationally. The Volunteers kept him in-state, and he received second-team All-SEC, Freshman All-American, and SEC All-Freshman recognition as a 12-game starter (eight at right guard, four at left tackle). After the season, however, he was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs. Smith fought through that malady to return for the 2018 campaign but had to stop after seven starts at left tackle as doctors believed the clots had returned. However, additional study of those test results showed that doctors might have actually seen scar tissue from the previous clots. Smith worked hard in the offseason, losing 40 pounds, and he garnered 2019 first-team All-SEC honors after moving inside to left guard, where he started 12 of 13 games played. He was a first-team all-conference selection again in 2020, starting all 11 games at left guard for the Volunteers. He received the Jason Witten Award for leadership on the field and community service off the field, as well as the Fritz Pollard Trophy for extraordinary courage and community values. He accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl. -- by Chad Reuter
Overview
When putting together a guard built for an NFL power-based scheme, the blueprint would probably look like Smith. He's big, wide, strong, long and will flash an aggressive streak when he gets geared up. The lack of body control and technique he put on tape suggests it may be difficult for him to overcome his limited athleticism. An offseason of fundamentals work should help Smith become more efficient into first contact, which will really unlock his power at the point of attack. He's been one of the more talked about guard prospects over the last few years but might be in for a bumpy beginning as he adjusts to the athletes and technicians he will face as a pro. Strengths
Elite size and length for the position.
Frame is broad and thick.
Very heavy-handed with plus upper-body strength.
Able to throw a sack of bricks at opponent when he punches.
Has physical potential to become dominant with better technique.
Drive power to turn base blocks out of the gap.
Can bang and cave his down-blocks.
Knock-back pop on both first and second levels.
Good job of finding targets on his short pulls.
Sets a very firm anchor against bull rushers.
Has faced off against a variety of current pro defenders during career.
Weaknesses
Lack of range shows up in run game and pass sets.
Long first step, causing him to overshoot his landmark and lose positioning.
Needs better footwork and hand clinch for improved sustain.
Will cheat secure block to save time getting up to linebacker on combos.
Plays with hitch and outside hands with pass punch.
Below-average body control and recovery potential.
Loses balance and positioning against rush counters.
Struggles to redirect weight after biting on fakes in pass pro.
Slide quickness to cut off the gaps is a concern.
Has dealt with blood clotting issues.
Sources Tell Us
"I guess you don't like big, aggressive guards, Lance? I know he has things to work on, but they can be coached up. The (history of blood clots) is a much bigger issue than anything on tape for me." -- Personnel executive for NFC team
I’m so happy for @TreySmith73 going to the @chiefs. Finally. Chiefs Kingdom got an awesome player and fantastic human!!
One of two picks I liked on day 3. But its day 3 so don't give a fuck either way haha.
If this kid truly has the blood clot issue behind him, he's a day 2 beast Veach stole in the 6th round. I honestly, thought he'd be one of our day 2 picks.
Might be safe to wave goodbye to Wylie and his weak ass sauce. [Reply]
Originally Posted by smithandrew051:
Just look at the major over commitment required to slow down Mahomes.
Bring 4, drop 7. Get pressure with 4 while doubling Kelce and Hill. Hope someone else doesn’t get open. Dare the Chiefs to run the ball.
Seriously, what do you do now? No chance teams bring a light box against this OL.
Respect the run? Okay cool. Let’s go back in time to 2018.
Double Kelce & Hill? Enter Clyde, Powell and/or Baby Kelce - guys who can run routes well and catch with their hands, something we couldn’t trust Hardman to do consistently, and didn’t have a TE2 to bring in.
Originally Posted by JakeF:
He's played the last 2 years without any medical issues. I guess teams think that his career could end at any time with the blood clots. Or his could play a full career with no issue. It's worth the risk of a 6th round pick.
Our biggest issues now are RT and DE right?
Will Niang takeover the RT position? Who's going to start at DE opposite of Clark?
He'll be fine.
RT is somewhat open but with much better options than Wylie.
-Kyle Long will get a look there. He's played at a high level at RT before.
-Remmers did a pretty good job at RT last year, filling in for Schwartz. He simply is not a LT. That SB was a very unfortunate situation.
-Reid has not closed the door on Schwartz returning. He's said so publicly. [Reply]
Chiefs just got A REAL GUARD! Congrats brotha can’t wait to see you put on that yellow jacket @TreySmith73 enjoy a great city better people n the best bbq #chiefkingdom y’all got the best pick in the draft !!! Go be great!!!!!!!!!
— Kahlil McKenzie Jr. (@Kahlil_Mckenzie) May 1, 2021
McKenzie’s time in Kansas City ended in disappointment, with the team releasing him ahead of the 2019 NFL season. He still seems to hold the city, people and team in high regard. He also called Smith the “best pick in the draft.”
Next up, is former Chiefs second-round pick Jeff Allen, who played with the team for six seasons. He’s content with calling Smith the “biggest steal of the draft.”
The Chiefs just got the biggest steal of the draft. Congrats @TreySmith73
— Jefe (@JeffAllen71) May 1, 2021
That’s some pretty high praise from a player who knows the organization and offensive line play.
Former Chiefs guard Geoff Schwartz, brother of Mitchell Schwartz and Fox Sports analyst, is also really high on the Smith pick. The sheer value of this pick had him elated for Kansas City.
The Chiefs got a player at the end of the 6th round who if drafted at the end of the 2nd or early 3rd, we’d have said that’s about right. Extreme value. https://t.co/sknawGE4OR
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) May 1, 2021
Schwartz also had a chance to interview Smith in his series on Fox Sports, “Big Boys Club Draft Academy.” The series is like “Gruden’s QB Camp” but for offensive linemen.
I’m so happy for @TreySmith73 going to the @chiefs. Finally. Chiefs Kingdom got an awesome player and fantastic human!!
Check out his story on Big Boys Club Draft Academy pic.twitter.com/cPX48fA4jP
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) May 1, 2021
Overall, the general consensus among these former players seems to be that the team got a great player at an incredible value. The guard position is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and deep positions on the Chiefs’ roster after being a problem area for the past several seasons. [Reply]
The more film I watch of him and the more interviews I hear this guy is our "Sneed" from last year. Absolute STEAL! Long and LDT are gone after this year and I fully expect Smith to start for us from that point forward on a rookie contract. Pretty clear Brown Jr, Thuney, Humphrey, Smith, Niang is the offensive line of the future. [Reply]
