The Saints will no doubt keeping an eye on the Reese’s Senior Bowl on January 28th. The Black and Gold won’t have to look far to find DL Tanzel Smart. Smart played for the Tulane Green Wave right here in town down in New Orleans.
Height: 6-1
Weight: 305 lbs.
Projected 40 Time: 5.07
Projected Draft: 3-5
If the Saints want to draft a guy that’s close by, then DL Tanzel Smart might be the guy. Smart hails from Baton Rouge and went to Scotlandville Magnet High School. The school that he went to specializes in academics. As a result, Smart ended up attending Tulane University which is considered the “Harvard of the South.”
Smart was voted an All-American Athletic Conference First Team in 2016. Moreover, he’s played in 36 consecutive games. In addition, Smart has lined up in a total of 48 total games for the Green Wave. In 2016, Smart had a total of 68 tackles, with 34 of those being solo. Even more astounding was his 19 plays for a loss. This guy loves to get into the backfield and make waves.
Add that along with 5.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Smart is no doubt a savvy player with plenty of talent. Smart is like a huge energizer bunny with plenty of energy. He likes to be able to get in and fight his way to the quarterback. In one of these clips Smart also fights off a double team. He’s had to fight double teams quite often. Smart would eventually find his way to quarterback Paxton Lynch who played at Memphis at the time.
High Intelligence is something that is rare to find in a defensive tackle. His smarts will keep him aware of his surroundings at all times. This will also help him with the transition to the NFL with terminology. Plenty of players struggle with the complexities of the NFL and the many different looks on the next level.
Here is a short clip of his highlights. The sound is muted due to copyright protection.
Hopefully, the Saints will really take a hard look at this guy. Smart may be a “smart” pick for the Saints.
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