Maason Smith, out of Louisiana State University, is a versatile defensive tackle with a unique blend of length and height. The former five-star recruit out of Louisiana state has declared for the NFL draft after playing in Baton Rouge for three years.
The 6'5 tall, 306-pound heavy tackle has always been in the spotlight since his high school days due to him being an elite recruit. The Houma native is one of the most polarizing prospects of the upcoming 2024 NFL draft due to his high ceiling but limited production. Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN sees him as a top five defensive tackle of the class while Bleacher Report gave him a Round 3 grade.
He was the highest rated recruit out of the high school from Louisiana in 2021. However, injuries stunted his development as a player in college. He is a very versatile player who used to play some snaps as an offensive tackle too during his high school days.
Teams needing depth at the interior defensive line might take a flier on him if he is available on Day 3. Lot of scouts and experts believe that he has a tremendous upside and can reach his ceiling if he gets good coaching at the next level.
Maason Smith College
Smith enrolled in Louisiana State University in 2021 while being a top 20 player in the nation out of highschool. He had offers from other big programs like Alabama, Miami and Georgia but decided to stay in his home state. He is the first player ever to wear No. 0 in the history of LSU.
The former five-star recruit had a nice start to his collegiate football career as he played in nine games in his freshman year before getting sidelined due to his injury. He was used as a rotational guy off the edge and had tremendous success that year.
Expectations were high for him in the second year. However, unfortunately for him, Smith tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the season opener against Florida State and was ruled out for that year. It was a major setback in his development as a player.
He came back after his surgery during the 2023 season. He started all 12 games for the Tigers as an interior lineman but wasn’t as effective as his freshman year. Many fans and pundits believe that he came back too early after ACL surgery and should have waited longer to make his return. His position requires a lot of power and leverage, which come from the knee, something he lacked, as per analysts. Here’s an overview of Maason Smith’s college statistics:
| Season | TOT | SOLO | AST | PD | SACK |
| 2021 | 19 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 27 | 9 | 18 | 2 | 2.5 |
Maason Smith High School
Maason Smith, born on October 13th 2002, attended Terrebonne High School in his hometown Houma, Louisiana. He was selected to the 2020 Louisiana High School Football All-State Team - First Team: Defense. He was also chosen for the 2020 MaxPreps All-American Team—First Team Defense.
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FAQ on Where did Maason Smith go to college?
A. Maason Smith, who played Defensive Tackle for LSU declared for the 2024 NFL draft
A. Defensive Tackle Maason Smith wears No.0 for LSU and he is the first one to wear that number in school history.
A. Amazon Smith recorded an official time of 5.01 seconds to complete the 40 yard dash at the 2024 NFL combine.
