Jordan
Smith.
Jordan
Smith.
Ala-Birmingham· 6'5"· 264 lb· 4.80s 40
"A 6'7", 264-pound UAB edge with 10 sacks in 2019 after a Florida dismissal over a felony credit-card fraud case — a Round-4 traits bet on length and bend, capped by a 0.46 RAS and off-field questions."Pre-draft read
This high-cut, stand-up rusher, primarily a wide-9 defensive end in college, leverages his length and initial burst, often employing a long-arm punch to dominate offensive linemen. He capatilizes on over-setting tackles with a serviceable dip-and-rip and flashes a swipe/chop counter.
His hand usage is still developing; he tends to collect, not shock, tackles. His rush plan defaults to speed-to-power without a reliable follow-up. Due to a stiff lower half, his corner bend is a lean, not true ankle flexion, hindering redirection against mobile quarterbacks. Against run plays, he sets a firm edge with length and effort when playing low, but plays tall in space against reach blocks. While his motor is consistent, his alignment versatility is limited, and coverage exposure minimal.
3-4 attacking front that schemes rushers to exploit length and burst, rather than asking them to win with bend and change of direction.
Rotational 3-4 outside linebacker in Year 1, with a ceiling to develop into a sub-package pass rusher on obvious passing downs.
4-3 under front that asks its defensive ends to be consistent run-fitters and to hold up against inside zone blocks without immediate help.
Smith is a project with elite length and a pass-rush motor, but his limited bend, raw technique, and off-field history make him a developmental prospect best suited for a patient organization in a 3-4 scheme.
Jordan Smith — UAB Blazers Defensive End — 2019 Highlights
Full 2019 season cutup: the C-USA sacks-leader tape that got him drafted, showing the long-arm stab and quick-enough first step.
Jordan Smith Highlights — UAB
Career highlight reel from UAB emphasizing length as a wide-9 and edge-setting reps on early downs.
Jordan Smith Explains What Happened at Florida
Player interview on the 2017 Florida dismissal and the credit-card fraud case that reshaped his path to UAB and the 2021 draft.
This prospect presented a complex evaluation due to his physical traits and collegiate journey. A prominent frame and length suggested potential, despite athletic testing numbers that raised questions about his overall fluidity and change of direction. Teams were investing in these raw physical traits and his demonstrated production against Group of Five competition, projecting him as a developmental 3-4 outside linebacker with a high ceiling for pass-rushing upside.
His college career was notably interrupted by an off-field issue after signing with a Power-5 program; he later re-emerged at a UAB, where he led his conference in sacks in 2019. He maintained good production in a shortened 2020 season. His usage was almost exclusively as an edge defender, with minimal exposure to coverage responsibilities, making his projection primarily as a pass rusher.
Evaluators flagged this player's non-linear path, along with athletic testing that did not align with his impressive physical dimensions, as key concerns. The market consensus placed him in the Day 3 range, with teams balancing his raw traits and production against a lower level of competition and the need for significant technique refinement. He was selected in the fourth round, 121st overall, by Jacksonville.
- 01
Elite length
With his 6'7" frame and 35-inch arms, he possesses one of the longest edge frames, consistently jolting college tackles with a long-arm stab before disengaging.
- 02
Conference USA production
His 10 sacks and 13 TFLs in 2019, plus another 4 sacks in 2020, indicate a high pressure rate among Group of Five edge defenders.
- 03
First-step timing
He displays good timing off the snap, beating slower tackles to the corner with his initial get-off before they can settle into their kick-slide.
- 04
Set-the-edge tools
When playing with low pad level, his length allows him to extend, lock out, and squeeze reach blocks, projecting him as a base 3-4 outside linebacker.
- 05
Motor and finish
Plays through the whistle, often chasing down plays and cleaning up spillover, showcasing a strong second effort that projects to a rotational role.
- 01
Off-field file
Was dismissed from a Power-5 program early in his career due to felony credit-card fraud charges, which teams flagged as a critical background concern.
- 02
Poor athletic testing
His 4.80 forty, 33-inch vertical, and 117-inch broad jump resulted in a low RAS, and his tape reflects slower change of direction.
- 03
Rush plan and counters
His repertoire of pass-rush moves is limited to long-arm and speed rushes, lacking reliable inside counters or effective secondary moves.
- 04
Bend and corner flexibility
Leans and drops his shoulder when rushing, rather than achieving true ankle bend, allowing quarterbacks to escape pockets even after initial wins.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.80sp50
- Vertical
- 33inp50
- Broad jump
- 117inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- 16repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Tennessee Tech | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | Gardner-Webb | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | UAB | 14 | 52 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | UAB | 9 | 42 | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | — | 23 | 94 | 14.5 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Long, upright rotational rusher whose sack totals live and die with scheme fit and hand usage — a fair floor for the traits without the athletic profile.
Best-case UAB-style Day 3 edge who added a real counter menu in year three and became a productive starter — Smith had the length and initial win, but never the plan.
Long Group of Five edge with off-field flags whose length never translated into a real NFL rush plan — the realized outcome for Smith once the Achilles and depth-chart pressure hit.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Bust. 5 special-teams tackles across two years, cut before Year 3. Signed with the Colts and Panthers on futures deals, out of the league by 2024.
Pre-draft context. A four-star Florida signee in 2017, Smith's college career was fractured before it started when he was among nine Gators dismissed following felony credit-card fraud charges. He sat out 2018, landed at UAB, and posted 10 sacks and 13 tackles for loss in 2019 to lead Conference USA. A shortened 2020 added 4 sacks in seven games. At 6'7", 264 with 35-inch arms he had the longest edge frame in the class, but a 4.80 forty, 33-inch vertical and 117-inch broad jump produced an 0.46 RAS — trait length and tape production against Group of Five tackles versus poor testing and a serious off-field file. Consensus boards had him early Day 3.
NFL fit — Jacksonville Jaguars. The pick made sense on two axes: Urban Meyer, who signed Smith at Florida in 2017, controlled the war room, and Jacksonville needed a developmental rusher behind Josh Allen and K'Lavon Chaisson in a 3-4 hybrid front. The plan was to redshirt him at stand-up outside linebacker, teach a real rush plan, and let the length play in sub packages. Fit-wise the frame was right; the athletic testing and rush counters were the real bet.
Retrospective. It never came together. Smith tore his Achilles in the 2021 preseason and missed his entire rookie year, then bounced between the active roster and practice squad in 2022 and 2023 with only spot defensive snaps and special-teams work. Jacksonville released him after the 2023 season, and he did not stick on an NFL roster in 2024 or 2025. A Round-4 developmental swing that turned into a functional miss: Achilles, no rush-plan growth, and the athletic ceiling the testing warned about.