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Andre Smith, Jr. (born January 25, 1987) is an American football offensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Bengals in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama.

Early years

Smith attended Huffman High School in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, where he was a three-year starter, a two-time All-State selection, and Class 6A Lineman of the Year in 2005. After registering 88 pancake blocks his senior season, Smith was selected “Mr. Football” by the Alabama Sports Writers Association, becoming the only offensive lineman to ever win the honor in the association’s 23-year history. Smith earned High School All-American honors by USA Today and was selected to play in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He was also one of four finalists for the 2005 Walter Payton Trophy, given to the nation’s most athletic high school football player.

Regarded as a five-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com,^[1][2] Smith was listed as the No. 1 offensive lineman by both recruiting services.^[3][4] Rivals described him as "one of the most dominant offensive line prospects in the last 10 years,"^[5] and—after reevaluating their 2005–'09 rankings in February 2009—considered him the best offensive tackle prospect of that period.^[6] Mike Farrell of The Sporting News called Smith "the best offensive line prospect since Orlando Pace."^[7]

College career

In his initial year at Alabama, Smith started all 13 games at left tackle, becoming only the fourth true freshman offensive lineman to start for the Crimson Tide, joining tackles Larry Rose (1985), Jon Stevenson (1991) and Dante Ellington (1999).^[8] Smith played at least 65 snaps in 10 of 13 games and played more than 70 snaps five times, while leading the Crimson Tide with 62 pancake blocks. He also scored a touchdown off of a lateral in the 34–31 Independence Bowl loss against Oklahoma State.^[9] Smith earned Freshman All-American honors by the Football Writers Association of America.^[10]

In 2007, Smith was a First Team All-SEC selection, after starting every game at the left tackle position.^[11] He was named Alabama Co-Player of the Week four times during the season.^[11]

Smith was recognized as a consensus All-American in 2008, as well as the 2008 Outland Trophy winner. He was also considered to be one of the best underclassmen for the 2009 NFL Draft.^[12][13] He was also an All-Southeastern Conference selection and shared the league's Jacobs Blocking Trophy with Arkansas center Jonathan Luigs.^[14] He led the team with 103 key knockdowns and added seven blocks downfield. He was penalized twice, as he allowed just one QB sack and six pressures on 334 pass plays.^[11]

On December 29, 2008, Smith was suspended from playing in the 2009 Sugar Bowl,^[15]—a game Alabama lost to the Utah Utes 31–17—, reportedly because he dealt with an agent.^[16] A few days later, Smith declared himself eligible for the 2009 NFL Draft, and at the time he was considered a lock to be a Top 5 pick.^[17]

College awards and honors

Professional career

2009 NFL Draft

Widely believed to be the best run-blocking tackle in the draft, Smith drew comparisons to Jason Peters.^[33] At the 2009 NFL Combine, Smith weighed 332 pounds.^[34] He also looked out of shape as he ran 40 yards shirtless, clocking at a slow 5.28, and had a disappointing 19 repetitions on the bench with 225 pounds.^[35]

He decided to leave the combine early in order to prepare for Alabama's Pro Day on March 11, 2009. Smith, however, did not inform his group leader at the combine before he left, and later apologized, stating: "If I had the chance to do it all over, I wouldn't have handled it the way I did. I should have told my group leader that I was leaving, and I didn't. I didn't mean to ruffle any feathers or step on any toes. I didn't mean to grandstand anyone at the combine. That was not my intention at all, and I apologize for my mistake." Smith also admitted that he wasn't prepared or in shape.^[16][36]

His Pro Day performance at Alabama on March 11, 2009 was equally unimpressive, although his weight was down to 325 pounds. It was expected that his poor performances at the Combine and at Pro Day would strongly impact his draft positioning.^[37][38] Initially thought of as the best offensive tackle in the 2009 NFL Draft and a possible No. 1 pick,^[39][40] Smith was moved to third among offensive tackles (commonly behind Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe) after the combine.^[35][41]

Smith was eventually drafted sixth overall in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.^[42] He was the first Alabama offensive lineman selected in the first round of an NFL Draft since Chris Samuels in 2000.

Cincinnati Bengals

With run-blocking being his premier quality, Smith was projected to start at right tackle for the Bengals.^[44][45] However, after a 30-day contract impasse, Smith missed all of training camp and three preseason games, before eventually signing his contract on August 30, 2009.^[46] It is believed that Smith was looking for a five year, $40 million deal,^[47] but was signed to a four-year contract with only $21 million guaranteed. The Bengals also have an option in his contract after the 2010 season to make it a six-year, $42 million dollar agreement.^[48] Just days after ending his hold out, Smith fractured his left foot during a non contact drill at training camp. On December 13, 2009, Smith was credited with his first official start when usual starting right tackle Dennis Roland lined up as the extra TE in the Bengals unbalanced line.

Personal

Andre Smith is the son of Andre, Sr. and Nesa Smith.^[49] His younger brother, Christian Smith, currently plays wide receiver and cornerback at Hampton University.^[50] He is also a cousin of Dominic Lee, a former defensive lineman for the Alabama Crimson Tide.^[51]

References

External links

• Cincinnati Bengals bio
• Andre Smith bio at RollTide.com
• Andre Smith at Rivals.com
• 2009 NFL Draft Page