Preston Smith (linebacker)

Preston Smith

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Smith with the Washington Redskins in 2015
No. 94 Washington Redskins
Position: Outside linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: (1992-11-17) November 17, 1992
Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight: 265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High school: Stone Mountain (GA) Stephenson
College: Mississippi State
NFL Draft: 2015 / Round: 2 / Pick: 38
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2016
Tackles: 73
Quarterback sacks: 12.5
Pass deflections: 7
Interceptions: 1
Forced fumbles: 3
Player stats at NFL.com

Preston Demarquis Smith[1] (born November 17, 1992) is an American football outside linebacker for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi State University, and was drafted by the Redskins in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

Early life

Smith attended Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia.[1] He was rated as a two-star recruit by 247sports.com,[2] and Scout.com,[3] and a three-star recruit by Rivals.com.[4] He chose to attend Mississippi State Bulldogs over offers from Kentucky, Syracuse, and West Virginia, among others.[4]

College career

Smith appeared in 8 games as a true freshman in 2011 season, recording a forced fumble in a 31-3 win over Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl.[1] In 2012, Smith appeared in all 13 games and led the Bulldogs with 4.5 sacks.[1] As a junior in 2013, Smith recorded 2.5 sacks, including 2.0 in a 59-26 loss to LSU.[5]

Smith started the 2014 season with a bang, winning the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week Award in each of the first three weeks.[6] Smith recorded an interception in the Bulldogs' 49-0 rout of Southern Miss,[7] and returned another acrobatic, one-handed interception for a touchdown in the Bulldogs' win over UAB.[8] Smith ended the season with 42 tackles, nine sacks, two interceptions and a touchdown.

At the end of his senior season, Smith was projected as a fourth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by CBS[9] and NFL Draft Scout.[10]

Professional career

Smith was chosen with the 38th pick overall in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins.[11] On May 11, 2015, he signed a four-year contract worth roughly $4.1 million.[12][13] In the Week 16 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Smith was voted Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week after his career high of three sacks in the game.[14] Smith finished the season with eight sacks, which led all rookies for the 2015 season, as well as posting a safety against Aaron Rodgers in the Wildcard playoff loss against the Green Bay Packers.[15]

In March 2016, Smith was voted as one of the best under-25 players in the NFL.[16] In a game against the Minnesota Vikings in November 2016, Smith had two sacks, along with his first career interception, helping the Redskins to a 26–20 win.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Preston Smith bio". HailState.com. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
  2. ↑ "Preston Smith". 247sports.com. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
  3. ↑ "Preston Smith". Scout.com. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
  4. 1 2 "Preston Smith". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
  5. ↑ "No. 10 LSU pulls away to beat Mississippi State". ESPN.com. 2013-10-05. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  6. ↑ Bonner, Michael (2014-09-15). "Preston Smith wins third consecutive SEC weekly award". ClarionLedger.com. The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
  7. ↑ "Mississippi St beats Southern Miss 49-0". ESPN.com. 2014-08-30. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
  8. ↑ "Mississippi State beats UAB 47-34". ESPN.com. 2014-09-06. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
  9. ↑ "2015 DE rankings". CBSsports.com. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
  10. ↑ "Preston Smith". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
  11. ↑ Mink, Nate (May 1, 2015). "2015 NFL Draft: Who is Preston Smith? Washington picks Mississippi State DL in second round". Syracuse.com. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  12. ↑ Keim, John (May 15, 2015). "Preston Smith's contract breakdown". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2015-05-25.
  13. ↑ Kring-Schreifels, Jake (May 11, 2015). "Preston Smith Signs His Redskins Contract". Redskins.com. Retrieved 2015-05-25.
  14. ↑ Walker, Andrew (January 1, 2016). "Preston Smith Voted League's Rookie Of The Week". Redskins.com. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  15. ↑ Czarda, Stephen. "Ryan Kerrigan Sees Growth In Preston Smith, Explosiveness In Junior Galette". Redskins.com. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  16. ↑ Harrison, Elliot. "Teddy Bridgewater, Le'Veon Bell head All-Under-25 Team". NFL.com. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  17. ↑ Jones, Mike. "Preston Smith finally has the breakout game the Redskins have been pleading for". Washington Post. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
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