Penn State LB Brandon Smith trending upward in 2022 NFL draft outlook
We are heading into Penn State’s matchup against Illinois, where both teams have their starting quarterbacks in question.
We spent part of the bye week taking a look at the draft stock of current Nittany Lions for the 2022 NFL Draft.
Today, we will take a look at one of the three players that were selected in a recent 2022 NFL mock draft in Brandon Smith.
Smith has shown off his athleticism all season by making plays all over the field. He is draft eligible in 2023 and some speculate he could stay another year in Happy Valley. However, he is playing at an all-time high right now and would likely be drafted within the first three rounds from the looks of it.
Smith stands 6-foot-3 and 241 pounds and is a combination of athleticism and physicality. His vision across the field has steadily improved throughout the past few years and has faced quarterbacks that have gone on to be starting quarterbacks in the NFL. For example, Justin Fields.
It has been mentioned before that when it comes to recruiting, Penn State looks at several players that can help them win in various aspects of the game. That is exactly what Smith does. The departure of Micah Parsons was tough to fill the void. However, Smith quickly stepped up and has emerged as one of the star players of the Nittany Lions defense. He is a guy that can be very productive as both an inside or outside linebacker. Smith is a lengthy player that has all the tangibles to be an early-round draft pick in 2022.
So, where exactly is Smith projected as of right now?
As mentioned, the past two seasons, Smith has done nothing but improve his draft stock and is one of the best players on Penn State’s defense. He brings a ton of experience and versatility to the table.
As of right now, Smith is currently projected to be a 3rd round draft pick in 2022. However, there is a lot of football left and Smith could certainly raise his draft stock, especially with tough opponents like Ohio State and Michigan State coming up throughout this stretch.
Smith has all the talent in the world to be a starting linebacker in the NFL. If there is one thing Penn State has done a good job of, it’s developing their linebackers for the NFL, and Smith is one of those guys.
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