Mazi Smith (born June 16, 2001) is an American football

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Michigan and was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the

2023 NFL Draft The 2023 NFL Draft will be the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft is scheduled to be held in the plaza outside of Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 27–29, ...

Early life and high school career

Smith was born on June 16, 2001. He attended

East Kentwood High School East Kentwood High School (EKHS) is a public high school located just outside the city of Kentwood, Michigan, United States. It is part of the Kentwood Public Schools district, working together with the Crossroads High School, an alternative l ...

in Kentwood, Michigan. He was rated by ESPN as the No. 38 recruit in the Class of 2019 and the year's second best defensive tackle. He is of Nigerian descent.

College career

During the 2021 season, Smith started all 14 games for Michigan. He had 37 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, four pass breakups, and four quarterback hurries. In August 2022, Bruce Feldman of '' The Athletic'' rated Smith No. 1 on his annual list of college football "freaks". Feldman cited Smith's size (over 325 pounds), speed (shuttle time of 4.41 seconds and three-cone drill time of 6.94 seconds), and his "rare power and agility". Feldman called Smith "so rare, in fact, it's hard to find the right superlative to begin with." He was also credited with being the vocal leader of Michigan's 2022 defense. At the end of the season, he was selected as a first-team player on the

2022 All-Big Ten Conference football team The 2022 All-Big Ten Conference football team consists of American football players chosen as All-Big Ten Conference players for the 2022 Big Ten Conference football season. The conference recognizes two official All-Big Ten selectors: (1) the Big ...

. On October 7, 2022, Smith was stopped for speeding by police in Ann Arbor and was arrested after a gun was found in his possession without a concealed pistol license (CPL). Two months after his arrest, he was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, a felony. That count was dismissed on December 8, 2022, during a hearing as part of his guilty plea on the lesser charge of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle.

Professional career

Smith was selected in the first round (26th overall) of the

2023 NFL draft The 2023 NFL Draft will be the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft is scheduled to be held in the plaza outside of Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 27–29, ...

, which was the first defensive tackle taken by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round since Russell Maryland in 1991.

Professional statistics

Personal life

Smith's cousin

T. J. Duckett Todd Jeffery Duckett (born February 17, 1981) is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons 18th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft and also played for the Washington Redskins, D ...

played running back in the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

References

External links

Michigan Wolverines bio

Dallas Cowboys bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Mazi 2001 births Living people American football defensive tackles Michigan Wolverines football players People from Kentwood, Michigan Players of American football from Michigan Dallas Cowboys players American sportspeople of Nigerian descent