Bears News: Getting to know: LB Rashad Smith |
The final rookie added to the Bears roster this offseason was another undrafted rookie on the defensive side of the ball with former Florida Atlantic linebacker Rashad Smith. At 6-1 220 lbs, Smith may be a bit undersized when you think of some of the linebackers in this league, but don’t let that fool you in terms of what he can do on the field.
The four-year player for the Owls, Smith did nothing but contribute as he played in nine games or more every season. For his career, Smith logged action in 57 games with a large chunk of those either starts or seeing significant snap counts. During those games, Smith picked up 302 tackles (5.3 tackles per game), with 31 tackles for loss. Add in 11.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, and six interceptions, and you can see why Smith was a significant factor for the Owls defense over the past four seasons. His sophomore and Senior seasons were by far his best as Smith recorded 195 tackles over those two seasons, 23.5 for losses to go with 9.5 sacks. Smith also added one interception and five fumble recoveries during these two seasons as he had a knack for being around the ball and pouncing on it. Even with all those impressive numbers, Smith still somehow went undrafted, which is a surprise to nearly every analyst out there. Not only was he being looked like a possible mid-round talent, but he projected as being a late-round steal for someone who could nab him. The fact he went undrafted and then chose the Bears as his destination is a big win for the Chicago coaching staff. Smith has been one of the best outside linebackers in FAU history, and the numbers will certainly back that up. A leader both on and off the field, Smith is the type of playmaking linebacker that can wreak havoc on opposing offensive lines and has the awareness to stop plays before they begin or turn into big gains. He fits the Bears well in terms of run-stopping, as that is one of his biggest strengths. Smith has also shown the ability to get to the QB, which was a need for the Bears this year. Not only does he possess a problem for the line, but he is the type of player that can make any play, you ask him to make all over the field. Line him up in coverage, and Smith can intercept passes. Put him on the front seven, and he can blow plays up like he so often did. Smith is undoubtedly going to be one of the more versatile LBs the Bears have in camp this year, and Chuck Pagano is certainly going to like his new toy.
With so many things going for him, I still can’t put my finger on how Smith fell so far to even going undrafted. The main thing I can think of is his size and being listed just 220 lbs. That is something he certainly will need to work on at the next level as he needs to put on at least 15 pounds. He does have a nice frame to add that strength, but would that take away from some of his athleticism should he put on weight.
Another factor some teams may have looked at is the quality of opponents FAU faces. Outside of some non-conference games, FAU isn’t facing the cream of the crop, so those numbers may not be what they were had they played better teams. Even with that, you can only play who is on your schedule, and Smith produced at a level that a lot of mid-round talent generally produce at.
Smith needs to be in the perfect system for him to reach his potential, and a lot of people had the Patriots and Chargers as his two best options.
However, I would argue the Bears are even a better fit for him, given some of the linebackers on their roster. Robert Quinn and Khalil Mack have a very similar style to Smith, so he will have two guys to lean on right from the start. Not to mention Pagano is a guy who likes to mix things up and use different schemes which falls into what Smith does best. All in all, Smith is a guy who has a great shot at making this roster out of camp and could prove to be one of the best rookie steals this season.
