Garrison Smith on being
shut out of the NFL Combine.
Smith, who played in both the 4-3 and 3-4 defenses at Georgia, recorded 63 tackles, 10 for loss and six sacks in 2013. He started in all 13 games for the Bulldogs and moved to nose tackle.
The Atlanta native said he felt like he and some of his fellow Bulldogs were stiffed by the NFL combine.
“That’s the biggest injustice I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen anything like that happen before. Me personally, I feel like I had one of the best seasons as a D-tackle in the country,” he said. “… You put up them type of numbers as a D-tackle in a 3-4 defense and you don’t get invited to the combine? Wow, that’s amazing.”
Which is why last week's Pro Day was so important for Smith. He got to perform in front of NFL reps and spent time talking to several team's representatives. He might be bitter about the combine snub, but he's not sulking over it. It's evidently fueling him to make the next step in his playing career.
Smith said he values his game tape more than his ability to perform drills in shorts and a T-shirt with a stopwatch in the hand of a nearby coach or scout.
“I feel like anybody can look good in shorts and T-shirts,” he said. “It’s a lot of T-shirt all-americans out here. It’s a lot of guys that can look good running the 40, look good doing drills, but when you put them pads on, they don’t look that good. … I’m not a T-shirt all-american. I’m backing it up with them pads on. That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day.”
Smith, who suffered an ankle injury during Georgia’s game against Georgia Tech in late November that caused him to gain some weight while he recovered, said he has trimmed down to 294 pounds, down five pounds from his weight at the start of the 2013 season. He said he’s been working on his quickness and agility as he trains with Georgia’s strength and conditioning staff in preparation for the NFL draft, which is May 810.
“I can look good in T-shirts,” Smith quipped after Pro Day. “I can look good in a birthday suit, it don’t matter. But when them pads get on, it gets real serious. In them trenches, ask about me down there. I got a lot of respect down there.”
No question. It's so easy to pull for this guy isn't it? Good on ya Garrison!
