One thing Matt Rhule is good at is evaluating talent outside the first round. In his first two drafts, Rhule has found serviceable NFL players. Players such as Yetur Moss-Gratos (2nd), Brady Christensen (3rd), Chuba Hubbard (4th) and Jeremy Chinn (2nd) have all been productive in their young careers.
Now that the 2022 NFL Draft has passed it looks Rhule may have done it again. Edge rusher Amare Barno (6th) has flashed potential and guard Cade Mays (6th) has looked like a man amongst boys on certain plays. But rookie linebacker Brandon Smith has been just eye-popping and he is just getting started.
Hello Mr. Smith
So far, Smith has been an absolute stud for Rhule and company. Smith was a fourth round pick out of Penn State. Standing at 6’3 250lbs, Smith is a hard hitting linebacker who makes his presence felt with his hard nose style of play.
In the teams second pre-season game against the New England Patriots Smith was all over the field. He had 5 tackles and 1 tackle-for-loss. Then early in the third quarter he introduced himself to fellow rookie, quartback Bailey Zappe, by getting to the backfield instantly and getting the sack.
https://twitter.com/KeepPoundingBR/status/1560793182056628225?s=20&t=DWpEZB0FcmL5K9vStAqAXQ
Whenever I watch Brandon Smith he reminds me of a bigger and younger version of NFL great and former Penn State linebacker Navarro Bowman. Both have speed, coverage skills and the ability to make guys think twice before running their way. Like Smith, Bowman was a mid round selection but carved out a nice career becoming 3x Pro Bowler and 4x All-Pro.
Outside of Shaq Thompson, the other starting backers better start taking notice. If Smith keeps this pace up, it will only be a matter of time before the coaching staff lets him loose and run him with the starters.
Carolina over the last decades have always kept a great linebacker on their roster. From hall-of-famer Sam Mills in the earlier years, all the way to Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly down the road. Smith has a long road ahead to match the success of those guys, but the future looks real bright and exciting.
