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!!
Yet we see CEH make the wrong cut to the hole and Clyde not getting to and around corner with Trey pulling along with Niang out front.:-)wasted fine blocking. [Reply]
the Campbell play, and the last play in that Baldy clip was awesome. the last play, the defender had this realization of "oh crap" and by then it was too late. [Reply]
Originally Posted by IA_Chiefs_fan:
I'm watching the clips and giggling like a little kid. So awesome.
Yeah, I feel great about him. By the end of this year, our OL will be a strength. Right now I'd say they're average as a group, but they have 5 new starters so that's to be expected. And the upside is there. [Reply]
Originally Posted by kcclone:
Yeah, I feel great about him. By the end of this year, our OL will be a strength. Right now I'd say they're average as a group, but they have 5 new starters so that's to be expected. And the upside is there.
Yep, nice to focus on the positive. 6th round...f***ing hell! [Reply]
Even if we move on from Orlando Brown (which I don’t think we will), we’re still in great shape along the OL for the next 3-4 seasons. Replacing 1 OL starter is doable in an offseason. I’m still shocked we replaced 5 in one offseason.
That’s part of why I’m not too concerned with the long term outlook of this team. We can easily add another WR, RB, and 1 OL starter with plenty of resources left for the defense. The cupboard for the defense isn’t empty by any stretch either.
Dudes like Trey Smith make all of this possible. Hell of a pick. [Reply]
I did see Creed hesitate to go to the 2nd level a couple of times in those clips. That might just be a confidence thing that the guy behind him is going to clean up. He really needs to drive and engage that 2nd level and not hesitate. [Reply]
Yeah it really does take an O-line a while to gel. That's not some casual fan myth. They have to learn each other's rhythms to know when the other guy is in trouble, or when he's good and you can look for work elsewhere.
Also three rookies are going to make mistakes.
I bet at something like 8 games you start to see a big improvement. And then they start to dominate by the end of the season or next season.
And I do think at least some of Clyde's problems are the unpredictability of the line right now. Mahomes is struggling with it a bit too. [Reply]
I can not tell you how large the "pump the brakes" reaction was when I told non-Chiefs fans before the first game that Trey Smith is going to the hall of fame.
