Anthony Smith DE/EDGE Minnesota |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Scouting Report: Weaknesses

• Sack production has dropped to three this season
• Average bend limits him against quicker NFL tackles
• Modest run defender for a player his size, with 10 stops this season
• Missed eight tackles in 2025 despite strong overall production

Scouting Report: Summary

Smith is a big, powerful edge rusher who broke out in 2025 with 17.5 tackles for loss and 44 pressures, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors and leading the conference in sacks for much of the season. He converts a bull rush into push that walks tackles back into the pocket, he has the size to rush from inside on passing downs, and he closed his season as the defensive MVP of the Rate Bowl. He also tied for the team lead with six sacks in 2024, so his production is not a one-year spike.

His 2026 season has been quieter in the box score but steady on tape. He has 28 pressures in eight games, a pace close to last season's, but only three sacks, and he has missed just two tackles. He turned down reported offers to enter the portal so he could return to Minnesota, and Danny Collins has said he can change a game within one play. Minnesota is 5-3 entering November.

However, he does not win with bend. His timed speed is good rather than rare, and his ability to flatten around the corner is average, so quicker NFL tackles can ride him past the quarterback. He is a modest run defender for his size, with 10 stops this season, and he missed eight tackles in 2025. Teams will want to see more of his pressures turn into sacks over the final month. A strong finish would also ease questions about whether his 2025 sack total was a peak.

Overall, Smith is a powerful, productive pass rusher whose size gives him the flexibility to play end or slide inside. He projects as a fourth-round edge rusher who can start at base end, with the floor of a rotational pass rusher. His ability to rush from inside on passing downs adds value for teams that rotate their linemen.