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Tennessee football: Trey Smith a first-rounder in Todd McShay’s mock draft

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 20: LaBryan Ray #89 of the Alabama Crimson Tide battles with Offensive lineman Trey Smith #73 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half of the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Alabama won 58-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 20: LaBryan Ray #89 of the Alabama Crimson Tide battles with Offensive lineman Trey Smith #73 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half of the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Alabama won 58-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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The ESPN analyst has Tennessee football Volunteers offensive lineman in the first round.

Another expert is high on Tennessee football rising senior guard Trey Smith for the 2021 NFL Draft. Now, with questions about playing the season, this is a more relevant storyline than ever, particularly with Smith.

Todd McShay of ESPN+ has the two-time First-Team All-SEC offensive lineman going in the first round of his early 2021 Mock NFL Draft. He projected the 6’6″ 335-pound Jackson, Tenn. native to be taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 22nd overall pick.

Smith was the No. 30 ranked draft prospect in McShay’s May rankings of his top 32 prospects. Taking that into account, McShay is actually valuing him higher as a draft pick than he ranked him. Here’s what he said about the Steelers taking Tennessee football star.

"Pittsburgh could go in a lot of different directions with this pick, including edge rusher, defensive tackle, linebacker, safety or running back. Quarterback is not out of the question either. But zero starting offensive linemen are under contract beyond the 2021 season. Both tackles are actually hitting free agency after the 2020 season, though Smith is better projected at guard in the NFL. Smith is a plug-and-play starter who could be a long-term replacement at left guard for Stefen Wisniewski, with the versatility to move around, despite a bit of injury history to consider."

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Back in January, Smith shocked the world by deciding to return for his senior season. Given the blood clots in his lungs, it made sense for him to try to go early. However, the decision so far appears to be increasing his draft stock.

One area that could mess that up is if the season shuts down due to coronavirus. Smith talked with Chris Low of ESPN on Monday about how playing was worth the risk for him, despite his blood clots, because of everything he had worked for to that point.

When he is on the field, Smith is clearly one of the best. We already mentioned his All-SEC years. Both times, he played the full season at guard. The one year he played left tackle, as a sophomore in 2018, he was on track to be All-SEC again before the blood clots shut down his season. Simply put, the guy can play, and he’s very versatile.

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There were two offensive linemen projected to go ahead of Smith despite McShay ranking five ahead of him as overall prospects back in May. What’s clear, though, is one more great season with Tennessee football could turn him into a superstar prospect.

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