“Smith showed out at The Senior Bowl. We talked a lot about him on The Prospects Prophet. He’s arguably the most impressive lineman in Mobile.”
– NFL Draft analyst with The NFL Draft Bible Jack Despeaux
East Carolina OT D’Ante Smith has added significantly more muscle to his frame, and it’s showing in drills. He’s just been nasty at the point of attack. One of my biggest risers through two days.”
-Lead NFL Draft Analyst with The Draft Wire Jacob Infante
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“Absolutely love ECU OT D’Ante Smith. He has been outstanding playing at OG and OT. Violent Hands with elite athleticism. Needs to put on some weight, but I would love him in Indy.”
-Beat Writer for the Indianapolis Colts Zach Hicks
“ECU OT D’Ante Smith is one of the biggest winners of the week so far. Frame looks light but Smith has appeared strong and powerful all week. Great athleticism and feet. Gets to his spots Perhaps on pass sets.”
– Writer and Draft Analyst for Pro Football Network Nick Farabaugh
“East Carolina OL D’Ante Smith grabbed my attention. He is very athletic and has quick in pass protection. Smith probably projects best as a zone scheme OG.”
-NFL Draft Analyst and Minnesota Vikings Writer Daniel House
Those are just some of the quotes and tweets about the performance of former Grovetown standout D’Ante Smith during practice sessions leading up to the Senior Bowl. For some, Senior Bowl Week is their best opportunity to prove their worth to NFL scouts. Well, D’ante Smith is one player who absolutely seized that opportunity.
Smith was always a big kid, and he used that size to become a starter for the football team at Grovetown under former Warriors Head Coach Rodney Holder. Holder saw early that he had something special in Smith.
“D’Ante tackled everything challenge we gave him. He is just a great kid with a great mom that was not afraid to put in the work,” said Holder. “He always had the size, but I really think his decision to join the wrestling team made a huge difference. Not only was he now a two-sport athlete, but it helped with his agility and footwork. In football, some players can hide on certain plays, but in wrestling, you have the guy across the mat and there is nowhere to hide. That helped him develop a little mean streak that you need to play the line.”
By the time his senior year was approaching in 2015, Smith stood 6’4” and weighed close to 290 pounds. That size alone attracted some college scouts, but his performance that summer at The Opening Atlanta Combine really turned heads. Also, Grovetown played in one of the toughest regions in the state back then, so coaches saw Smith facing the likes of Houston County, Jones County, Northside Warner Robins and Warner Robins. The offers soon were pouring in. In all, Smith garnered 12 scholarship offers including Illinois, East Carolina, Tulane, App State, Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina and Alcorn State. Finally, after racking up All-County, All-Region, and All-Area honors, Smith deciding on ECU for his college home.
During his freshman campaign in 2016, Smith suffered an injury in the first game that derailed his season but allowed him to redshirt and work on his craft. The following season, the now-redshirt sophomore started to impress the Pirates coaching staff. He played in seven games and earned starts in five contests.
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Then, in 2018, Smith took over the starting job at left tackle. He helped spearhead a line that generated eight games of 400 or more yards of offense. He started all 12 games and was named as a captain eight times. Smith had emerged as the team’s best lineman and started to garner conference-wide notoriety. As an RS-junior, Smith would again start all 12 games and was a team captain. The Pirates had one of the most prolific offenses in the country, surpassing 500 total yards in four games.
For his efforts, Smith was named All-AAC. He and his ECU teammates appeared primed for a monster 2020 campaign. However, like most things in 2020, things did not go according to plans. Smith suffered a concussion early in the year that saw his consecutive start streak end at 27 games. Smith made the difficult decision to shut down his senior season to focus on working towards his lifelong goal of playing in the NFL.
With an invitation to the prestigious Senior Bowl in tow, Smith moved to Las Vegas to begin training. One goal was to put on weight. Smith was listed at 6’4” 274 pounds at East Carolina. However, by the time the Senior Bowl rolled around, he measured at 6’5” and tipped the scale at 294 pounds (he has added about 10 more pounds since).
Equally important to scouts was the jaw-dropping numbers in terms of arm length (35.28 inches) and wingspan (85.15 inches). Those two numbers are better than most starting tackles in the NFL.
Then came time for the drills and Smith was simply dominant at times. He showcased the footwork and “mean-streak” that made him a star at East Carolina. Prior to the Senior Bowl, Smith was considered a late round prospect, possibly going in the seventh, and final, round.
However, despite suffering a sprained thumb ligament, which forced him to miss the Senior Bowl Game, his work in the practice sessions has him as one of the most talked about players in Mobile. Several analysts have him projected to go in the third or fourth round, with some not ruling out a spot in the second Round.
The preeminent draft expert, Mel Kiper, has listed Smith as one of his Top Offensive Tackle Prospects. Others feel like his future may be at guard, but either way it appears Smith is going to get the chance to live out his dreams of playing in the NFL.
While D’Ante deserves a ton of credit for the work he has put in, another person has been instrumental in Smith’s success. That is his mom, Samantha Smith Russell. If you ask any coach or teacher who has been a part of Smith’s life, they each bring up his mom. Former Grovetown Football Coach Rodney Holder raved about what a great influence she was. In this era of the over-reaching parents who try to coach from the sidelines, Smith has always been exactly what an athlete’s parent should be…She raised her son right, gave him love and support, and was there and supportive every step of they way.
So, when D’Ante Smith’s name is called on Draft Night, I will be extremely happy for a lot of people. First, I will be happy for D’Ante, of course. It is great to see a good kid accomplish such lofty goals. I will be happy for Grovetown’s football program and Columbia County football as a whole. We have had players on professional rosters, but Smith would be the first Columbia County product drafted in the NFL. And finally, I will be thrilled beyond belief for his mom. I know she will be bursting with pride, and she deserves that moment as much as D’Ante.
The NFL Draft will be held April 29th to May 1st in Cleveland, Ohio.
Ashley Brown covers sports for The Augusta Press. Reach him at Ashley.brown@theaugustapress.com
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