Clayton Smith DL/EDGE Arizona State | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Clayton Smith DL/EDGE Arizona State
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| SUB-POSITION: EDGE RUSHER | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 04/17/2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40 time: 4.64 seconds (93%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 21.4 DOB: 11/20/2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| SUB-POSITION: EDGE RUSHER | |
| Last Updated: 04/17/2024 | |
| Draft Year: 2025 | |
| 40 time: 4.64 seconds (93%*) | |
| Age: 21.4 DOB: 11/20/2002 | |
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SHARE THIS PROFILE:
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| Overall Rating: | 54.5 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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78% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Tackling: |
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26% |
| Pass Rush: |
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54% |
| Run Defense: |
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50% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
UDFA
Overall Rank:
#308
Position rank:
#52
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| College Games: 19 College Snaps: 512 | ||
ESPN RATING: 85/100
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247 RATING: 98.12/100
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RIVALS RATING: 6.1 (100%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Keshawn Banks - San Diego State |
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61% |
| Justus Te'i - Utah State |
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59% |
| David Anenih - Houston |
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57% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Clayton Smith from Texas High High School was rated a 4-star recruit by ESPN and handed a 4-star grade by 247 Sports. After high school, Smith joined Oklahoma after being heavily recruited.In 2021 as a freshman Smith saw action in 4 games and played a total of 44 snaps for the Sooners. He recorded only one tackle, 2 assists, while adding one stop. As a pass rusher, he added 3 total pressures, which included 3 QB hurries, no QB hits, and no sacks on the season.
As a sophomore for the Sooners in 2022 Smith played in 4 games and took part in 66 snaps for the Sooners. He recorded only 5 tackles, no assists, while adding 5 stops.
After season's end Smith transferred to Arizona State where as a junior for the Sun Devils in 2023 Smith played in 11 games and played 402 snaps for the Sun Devils. He recorded 11 tackles, 7 assists while making 10 stops. As a pass rusher, he produced 30 total pressures, which included 19 QB hurries, 5 QB hits, and 6 sacks on the year.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Smith shows good quickness off the line of scrimmage and flashes the violent hands to win around the edge.
- He’s a capable blitzer with the ability to close quickly. He’s also very good in coverage, rangy with good awareness in zone coverage, and fluid and fast enough to run with most tight ends.
- He combines good length and initial quickness, showing the burst to win early in the down as a pass rusher.
- Shows toughness to get under the pads of tackles to bull them, club them upfield to get the inside lane, or fight through blocks for secondary rush when the passer steps up.
- He has enough speed to chase and run in pursuit. Smith has the overall athleticism to hold up in space when dropping into coverage.
- Quick to read run, showing good agility and speed to get past blockers and finish. Experienced in coverage and gets a strong jam on outside receivers.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- As good as Smith is attacking downhill, he can get overaggressive and overrun plays, opening up cutback lanes for counter runs.
- As a run defender, he’s too much of a grab-and-drag tackler, lacking violence and too frequently allowing running backs to escape.
- Smith lacks elite traits in the pass rush and will need to develop a counter move.
How other scouting services rate Clayton Smith (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
311.0
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
54.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.