Carter Smith OT Indiana |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Scouting Report: Weaknesses

• Leaner frame with average length, so power rushers can get into his chest
• Rutgers produced his roughest day, a sack and three pressures, in October
• Shoulder surgery in early 2026 cost him spring practice

Scouting Report: Summary

The resume writes itself: four years as Indiana's left tackle, a national championship, consensus All-America honors and the Big Ten's offensive lineman of the year award. Smith wins with quick, repeatable sets, disciplined hands and the kind of balance that keeps a tackle off the ground and out of trouble. His movement holds up at the second level, and the tape rarely shows the same mistake twice.

His fifth season has looked much like his fourth. He came back from shoulder surgery without missing a start, has allowed six pressures in nine games and has kept protecting at a high level for a 7-1 team that lost only to Ohio State. He has more starts than almost any tackle in the class, and Curt Cignetti credits him with big steps in each season under the current staff. Indiana's only loss came by four points against Ohio State, and he allowed one pressure in that game.

However, two honest reservations remain. He plays with a leaner frame and average length, and the rare nights things went wrong came against heavy hands, with Rutgers producing his roughest day of 2026. The whole body of work also comes from one scheme and one demanding line coach, so teams have to trust that the technique, not the system, is the engine. The labrum repair in his left shoulder will be checked closely at the combine, and he has been flagged three times this season.

Overall, Smith is a polished, pro-ready pass protector with four years of starting film and a title-winning season on his resume. He projects as a first-round left tackle and a year-one starter, with Pro Bowl upside if the anchor thickens. Few tackles in this draft will need less time to be ready, and his durability before the shoulder injury, more than 40 straight starts, speaks for itself.