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Tennessee football: Trey Smith vaults NFL Draft analyst’s board

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Offensive lineman Trey Smith #73 of the Tennessee Volunteers battles on the line against Jabari Zuniga #92 of the Florida Gators during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Offensive lineman Trey Smith #73 of the Tennessee Volunteers battles on the line against Jabari Zuniga #92 of the Florida Gators during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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ESPN’s Todd McShay has the Tennessee football Volunteers offensive lineman in his top 15.

We’re not done showering Trey Smith with preseason love yet. The biggest Tennessee football star heading into 2020 was high up on an NFL Draft board and earned preseason All-American honors on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Todd McShay of ESPN+ had more love for Smith, placing him at No. 15 in his new preseason top 50 2021 NFL Draft prospects. That was a huge leap from May, when he came in at No. 30 in McShay’s way-too-early top 32 prospects for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Before you start to wonder, yes, both lists included all players, including the ones on teams that have postponed fall sports. Smith’s new ranking is also higher than where McShay projected him to go two weeks ago in his 2021 Mock NFL Draft, which was at No. 22 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here’s what McShay wrote about the 6’6″ 330-pound UT senior in his new ranking.

"After two seasons at left tackle, Smith kicked inside for 12 starts at left guard, which is where he projects long term. He has some injury history but is explosive on the inside, flashing the ability to push defenders right off the ball and overwhelm at the second level. Smith is a mauler, but he tends to fall off blocks too frequently."

In all of McShay’s positional rankings, Smith was the only Tennessee football player who turned up. He came in at No. 1 among offensive guards, but as you saw in that write-up, he’s not without a few weaknesses.

McShay’s take that Smith should maintain blocks longer could be a fair critique. However, it’s worth noting that he first started in the spread offense under Butch Jones, and while it was the smashmouth spread, it still calls for quicker blocks than a standard pro-style offense.

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Last year was Smith’s first year playing guard in the pro-style, and he didn’t allow a sack. As a result, it can’t be too much of a weakness the two-time first-team All-SEC blocker, and McShay can’t think that either if he’s so high on Smith.

What was behind the dramatic rise for Smith from May, though? After all, he’s up 15 spots, and there hasn’t been one game played between these two rankings. Well, there could be a couple of factors involved.

For starters, fall sports being postponed for the Big Ten, Pac-12, Mountain West, MAC and four Independents means that lots of guys ahead of Smith won’t have a chance to showcase themselves like he will this season. Looking at the board, Smith did leapfrog six players at schools who have postponed fall sports.

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At the same time, Tennessee football’s new roster came out last week, and Smith added five pounds to his weight. Add in the fact that he hasn’t been kept out of this offseason due to blood clots, which was likely a major concern for pro scouts, and his rise is easier to understand. If things hold, his decision to return to Rocky Top for his senior season could really pay off.

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