Anthony Smith DE/EDGE Minnesota |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #0 SUB-POSITION: VERSATILE DL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 08/03/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2027 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.75 seconds (69%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 22.2 DOB: 05/28/2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #0 | |
| SUB-POSITION: VERSATILE DL | |
| Last Updated: 08/03/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2027 | |
| Forty time: 4.75 seconds (69%*) | |
| Age: 22.2 DOB: 05/28/2004 | |
| Overall Rating: |
84.2 / 100
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| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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73% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Tackling: |
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64% |
| Pass Rush: |
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74% |
| Run Defense: |
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72% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
3rd
Overall Rank:
#96
Position rank:
#15 (DL)
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| College Games: 41 College Snaps: 1499 | ||
ESPN RATING: 78/100
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247 RATING: 92/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.8 (95%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sai'vion Jones - LSU |
|
91% |
| Myles Cole - Texas Tech |
|
83% |
| Braiden McGregor - Michigan |
|
82% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Smith led his Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, team to an 11-1 record as a senior with 64 tackles, 12.5 for loss and 9.5 sacks, earning PennLive Athlete of the Year and signing with Minnesota as a four-star and the No. 6 recruit in his state. He worked into the rotation and posted six sacks as a sophomore in 2024 before a breakthrough junior year.In 2025 Smith piled up fourteen sacks and 44 pressures across thirteen games, adding 24 run stops while drawing praise from NFL scouts for his performance against Rutgers. The production made him one of the more disruptive edge rushers in the Big Ten, a long, get-off-driven defender whose junior leap turned a steady starter into a high-volume sack producer. The fourteen-sack season ranked among the most productive in the country, a sudden jump from a six-sack sophomore year that put him squarely on the draft radar.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Heavy, powerful edge at 285 pounds with the size to kick inside
- Piled up fourteen sacks and forty-four pressures across 671 snaps
- Beat Rutgers for two sacks and seven total pressures
- Converts a bull rush into push that walks tackles into the pocket
- Closed New Mexico with two sacks and five run stops
- Plays with power and length on a heavy three-down snap count
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Pressure rate trails the sack count, more splash than consistency
- Average bend limits the corner against quicker NFL tackles
- Missed eight tackles, a finish detail to clean up
- Modest as a run defender for a player his size
Scouting Report: Summary
Smith is a heavy, powerful edge whose 285-pound frame lets him win with a bull rush and kick inside on passing downs, and the production was loud: fourteen sacks and forty-four pressures across 671 snaps. He walked Rutgers tackles into the pocket for two sacks and seven pressures, closed New Mexico with two sacks and five run stops, and led the Big Ten in sacks on the strength of power and length rather than speed. The sack total is real and it traveled across the schedule.The tape tempers the splash. His pass rush and run defense trail the sack count, which points to some boom-or-bust to his game rather than week-to-week consistency, and his average bend limits him against quicker tackles on the corner. He missed eight tackles, a finish detail to tidy up, and his average force against the run for a man his size. He is a power rusher whose production may outrun his underlying tape a touch.
The pro fit is a heavy base end or inside rusher who wins with power and gives a defense rush versatility along the front. The sack production and the size are bankable, even if the bend and the consistency cap the ceiling. He grades as a Day 2 contributor, a power-based front piece whose value rises in a scheme that lets him rush from multiple alignments.
How other scouting services rate Anthony Smith (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
78.0
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
16.0
*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.